Our Instant Connection
by LoveACullen
Summary: "I felt a solid impact in front of me, making me lose my grip on my books, sending them straight to the floor." Most people meet their soul mates in high school, or college. Bella meets hers in the most unlikely situation - when she bumps into him on the bus. From that moment on, Bella and Edward share an instant connection. Complications ensue, but true love conquers all, right?
1. Chapter 1

**New story…. I'm excited :D Hope you all enjoy! Please excuse my writing skills for now… getting back into the writing mode takes a little bit of time :p I know that no one has officially reviewed for this story, but I believe some 'thank you's are in order :)**

**Thank you to all of these amazing people who gave me feedback on whether this story idea was good or not… who basically gave me the confidence to go ahead and write this story: **_**xxlovethisxx, maddybug15, Lovetwilight1234, Marie Cullen 12, MissMartha, TwilightLoverGirl1, yellowporcheowner96, TeamAlecVolturiForever, lindseyCullen12, BellaAndEdwardLover9, 4everDreamer22, Bebeyeah, GaleLuver27, Tabi(Guest),**_** and 1 **_**Guest**_**.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight._

* * *

Chapter 1

Bella

I groaned out in frustration, before taking a deep breath and trying to calm myself down as I pulled over to the side of the road.

The engine of my Audi had just had a semi-freak out, and done a few hiccups before making a loud gurgling sound.

I assumed that that wasn't normal for a one-year old car.

Thanking God that I had been on my way home from school - only a few blocks away from my house, actually - I pulled out my slim, white iPhone, proceeding to call triple A.

After speaking to a receptionist who was clearly not having the best day, she told me that I would have to wait for about half an hour before they could send someone to pick my car up.

_Fun_, I thought to myself, letting my head fall back against the headrest as I let out a deep sigh.

I was pretty sure that the big guy up there had something against me, because so far, this week had been crappy, boring, and all kinds of annoying.

After a few minutes of just wallowing in self-pity, I decided to call my family and at least let them in on what was currently going on with me. You know, just in case they all came home to find me there, minus my car.

Starting with my brother, I scrolled through my contact list, looking for 'Emmett' before hitting the 'Call' button.

"Wasup Bells?" he answered, sounding out of breath.

I unconsciously smiled at his nickname for me. He'd been calling me that since he was old enough to sound out words.

I guessed that 'Isabella' had been too long and complicated for his then undeveloped brain to say.

"Why do you sound like that?" I was referring to the fact that he was practically panting into the mouthpiece of his phone.

But then I remembered, just as the words came tumbling out of his mouth, "I'm at football practice. Coach is making us do a bunch of drills to get us prepared for the game next month." I heard a few words being spoken in the background, before Emmett came back onto the line, "So, is everything okay?"

Clearly, I had completely zoned out, forgetting about the initial reason that I had even called my older brother. I informed him casually, "Yeah, my car just broke down. Triple A should be coming in a little bit though. Just figured I'd tell ya."

Not wanting to keep him away from his practice for any longer, I told him that I'd see him later.

But before I could hang up, he interrupted me, "Do you want me to come over there and wait with you?"

Ever the overprotective older brother, I guess. I had kind of figured that he'd offer to come wait with me until my car was towed away and taken to the mechanic's. But while that thought was much more appealing than waiting in boredom by myself, I decided against it.

I laughed lightly, "No, I should be fine. It's okay. Get back to practice, Em."

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding wary, but slightly relieved that I had turned down his offer.

Obviously, he cared about my safety and well being, but at the same time, he knew that I'd be alright. And you know, he kind of didn't want to leave his practice, as much as it sounded completely intense.

I understood, though. And at least he had showed a little concern for me.

"Yeah, yeah, have fun," and with a quick goodbye from Emmett, I hung up.

I quickly texted my mom and dad after that, knowing fully well that neither of them would've been able to answer my call had I rung them.

Both my mom and dad had high-paying, demanding jobs - my mom, Renée, owned a chain of furniture stores around the state, while my dad, Charles, was the local district attorney.

Even though I barely got to spend time with them, since they were either at work or various events, I tried not to make a big deal out of it.

After all, it was because of their jobs that I could afford to go to the best private school in Chicago, Haydn's College for Girls.

It was also because of them that I even owned my car, which... I guess... wasn't such a good thing now, considering my current situation.

Ah, life.

* * *

After my whole 'getting-stranded-on-the-side-of-the-highway' debacle, I had eventually arrived home, thanks to the helpful triple A guy who'd given me a ride back.

Locking the front door behind me, I headed upstairs to my room to get started on my large pile of homework that I had been procrastinating doing for the past two days.

_Real smart, Bella, _I thought sarcastically to myself. Now I had three days worth of work to do, in one night. This was yet another one of the reasons that this week was just not looking up for me.

Deciding not to put it off any more, I started my large set of Chemistry homework, followed by my thousand-word English essay on when it is considered acceptable to conform to society, and when you should express individuality. _Blah blah blah._

I heard my cell phone vibrate against the hardwood desk I was currently working on, momentarily snapping me out my 'homework-zone'. It was Rosalie, one of my best friends since pre-school – she's also been dating my brother since the beginning of high school.

She was asking whether or not Emmett had arrived home from football practice as yet, as they were supposed to meet up for date night.

Yes, date night.

Suppressing my urge to roll my eyes at their cheesy albeit cute tradition, I replied that I hadn't heard his unnaturally loud voice around the house as yet, making her reply with an overexaggerated amount of 'ha's and causing me crack a smile.

As if I wasn't already getting distracted enough; Alice, one of my newest friends who'd just moved here from Alaska a few months ago, decided to call me and have an hour-long conversation with me about her new relationship with a classmate of my brother's, Jasper.

Ah, my friends and their boyfriends, I sighed a little to myself. Though I felt incredibly happy for both Rosalie and Alice, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous sometimes at the fact that they'd both found guys that they possibly wanted to spend the rest of their lives with, while I was just here… with no boyfriend.

Well, wasn't I just a pocketful of sunshine? I giggled to myself at that thought, beginning to hum Natasha Bedingfield's song – thereby further distracting myself.

_One of these days, I was going to get tested for ADD_, I thought to myself, shaking my head.

Eventually, though, I managed to get my homework done, just as Emmett came back from football practice, and decided to drop by my room in all his sweaty and muddy glory.

I wrinkled my nose at him, causing him to grin at my discomfort, before nonchalantly enlightening him on the fact that he was late for his date night with his girlfriend.

Well _that _just wiped the smirk off his face, along with all of the color. I chuckled to myself as I watched amusedly as Emmett raced out of my bedroom and into his own, mumbling a string of curse words in his wake.

Oh, _boys_.

* * *

**A/N: So the first chapter wasn't originally like this. It was actually the second chapter... but I decided to do some major editing this weekend (even though I really should be studying for my final exams). **

**Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed the improved version of this chapter :) **

**xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you so much for all of the amazing reviews/alerts/favorites I received from that first chapter. I can't believe the overwhelming response I've received for the first chapter! :O**

**Thank you to: **_**Bebeyeah, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, Tempofugi, b1tch-breath, dr . meow1234, Team Edward Rules All, xxlovethisxx, TeamAlecVolturiForever, Rawr Olivia Grace, TwilightLoverGirl1, yellowporscheowner96, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, thelionismine, kat (Guest), Kelly (Guest), Pragmatic, SammiB, RoeiBiaSim23, theresa24,**_** and 1 **_**Guest**_** for reviewing my story!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Bella

The next morning, I sighed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes just as I heard Chris Brown's 'Don't Wake Me Up' blaring from my radio.

Oh, the irony.

I quickly hit the 'Snooze' button, pulling the covers off of me and deciding to get ready for yet another dreadful day of high school. After my terrible day yesterday, I was pretty sure that this week could not get any worse.

Well actually, school wasn't as bad as I made it out to be... but that was mostly because of my two best friends, who made it a _lot_ more tolerable.

But even though I had made some really great friends at school, going to Haydn's College also came with a lot of drawbacks, including the fact that it was composed entirely of girls, meaning that there was always drama.

Because let's face it: girls live for drama.

But, other than that, classes were manageable, especially because of the view outside some of the classroom windows.

Now I know what you must be picturing right about now: orange autumn leaves falling off the tree, blue birds soaring and chirping overhead, clear blue skies.

Um... Well, yes. We had some of that.

But I'm talking about a different kind of view...

_Boys_.

Yes, you guessed it. Right across the street from us was Jarvis High - an all-boys private school, which Emmett, Jasper, and most of guys from pretty well-off families attended.

Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't one of those lunatics that giggled at the sight of a cute boy every time one came into sight - but hey, I was still a girl who appreciated hot guys in uniforms.

I showered and quickly got dressed, pulling on my school uniform consisting of a white cotton shirt, dark green pleated skirt that reached just above my knees, and finally, a dark green blazer.

Emblazoned on my uniform blazer was the school's emblem: an owl holding a scroll.

I didn't wear much make-up to school, but occasionally, I dabbed on some foundation in case I looked sleep-deprived.

...Today was one of those days.

Combing through the knots in my long mahogany hair, I threw it up into a high ponytail before taking a quick look at myself in the mirror.

My skin - forever pale no matter how many times I tried tanning at the beach - clashed against my rosy lips, complementing my heart-shaped face.

My cheeks, which seemed to be permanently red due to my ability to blush at everything, were set against high cheekbones and a petite nose, while my doe-like brown eyes were crystal clear and wide awake for this new day.

Having spent enough time examining myself in the mirror (whoa, vain much, Bella?), I rushed downstairs, throwing a generous amount of cereal into a bowl, before proceeding to await my brother's arrival.

I, unfortunately, had to carpool with him due to the fact that my car was currently at the mechanic's.

My mom, Renée Swan, who was just getting ready for work, interrupted my hurried morning routine.

My dad and brother were both still getting dressed, a thought which caused me to shake my head, _late-sleepers_.

"Bella, I almost forgot! Would you mind taking the bus home today? I don't think I'll make it in time to pick you up, and you know your dad has that big case..." she trailed off, her amber eyes looking apologetic.

I should've figured that neither of them would be able to pick me up from school today; both of them were always swamped with work. But again, I couldn't really hate them for working – all to provide for their children.

However, I still felt the urge to smack my head repeatedly against the kitchen cupboard at her suggestion, especially after realizing that I had no choice.

You're probably wondering why I simply couldn't catch a ride home from my brother?

Well, like yesterday, and most of the days of the week, he had football practice which lasted two to three hours each time, depending on whether their coach was in a good mood or not.

I would've, in any other circumstance, waited for him at practice. However, I had this huge Biology project due in a week's time, and I still hadn't started.

Yup, I know. It's entirely my fault for procrastinating for the past two weeks.

Despite this sticky situation I was being placed in, I still kept my composure, shrugging it off, and assuring my mom that I was "okay with taking the bus".

But obviously, that was a complete and utter lie.

I sighed. Taking the bus was the worst: the bus driver was almost always grumpy, and if you didn't have exact money, he/she would usually subject you to a cold, fixed glare while handing you your change.

Next, the seats on the bus were usually full at the times that I got on, and normally, the only free seats would be next to weirdoes or pervs who tried to get my number.

Cue eye-roll.

Lastly, there would almost always be those people on the bus who blasted their loud, obnoxious music for everyone to hear, or talked boisterously on the phone, while some people - coughmecough - would simply want to have some peace and quiet.

Yeah, in other words: the bus _sucked_.

Anyway, it was only for today. I could suck up my strong dislike for buses for the half an hour I'd be spending on one.

At least my Audi – my poor baby - would be up and running by tomorrow.

My mom said a quick goodbye to me before leaving the house, and my dad did the same a few minutes later.

I chewed my food slowly, knowing full well that Emmett wouldn't be ready for another ten minutes, if I was lucky. He didn't really pay attention to punctuality; the only reason he was even awake right now was because he had to drop me to school.

Don't get me wrong: I wasn't one of those dorks who freaked out if she got to school late...but, I did _prefer_ to be on time.

As I finished my last spoon of 'Honey Nut Cheerios', I heard the familiar thud of footsteps running down the stairs, and was surprised to see my brother in a disarray.

His curly brown hair was uncombed, while his uniform looked to be done up halfway. White shirt un-tucked and navy blue tie undone, he really earned a whole new meaning to the term 'hot mess'.

However, his khaki pants and blue blazer looked to be in order, so I guess that earned him a few points.

"I just realized that I have to go to school now because I left my Chemistry binder there and Mr. Wilson is gonna kill me if I don't hand in the homework by first period. We have to leave... now," Emmett, explained in one breath, scarfing down the bowl of leftovers my mom had heated up for him before she had left for work.

I was surprised, nonetheless, at his request. But then again, this was Emmett I was talking about. It wasn't uncommon for him to leave his homework for the last possible minute – I guessed he was rubbing off on me.

Nevertheless, I nodded my head slowly, "Yeah, sure," before slinging my two-strap Kipling bag onto my shoulder.

We both headed out the door, and as soon as I was all buckled up in his burgundy Jeep Wrangler, Emmett drove to school at a speed that would've gotten him pulled over had there been any cops around. I definitely hadn't gotten that gene, because when I drove, I was pretty much Myrtle, the safety Turtle.

When we reached our school compounds, he dropped me off quickly at Haydn's College. He only had time to give Rosalie a quick peck on the lips before leaving our compound and hurriedly speeding off and parking in his own.

"What's with him?" Rosalie raised her eyebrows after seeing Emmett race into his school, in more of a frenzy than usual.

I rolled my eyes, a smile playing across my lips, "The usual. He left his binder in school, so he has to rush down his homework due today."

Rosalie laughed, shaking her head so that her blonde hair whished about. "Classic Emmett."

"Remind why you're dating him again?" I joked, heading to my locker. My comment earned a nudge in the shoulder from Rosalie who only grinned.

Both Emmett and Rosalie were both seniors, while I was a junior. They'd been in a relationship since the beginning of high school, but even before then, were always glued at the hip.

Just as I opened my locker, I was bombarded by a black-haired pixie who greeted me and Rosalie in a sing-song voice, "Good morniiiing."

I only chuckled at Alice, my newest - but equally awesome - best friend. Even though she'd only moved here to Chicago a few months ago, she'd warmed up to both Rosalie and me, almost immediately.

"Someone's in a good mood - well better than usual," I speculated, giving Alice a once-over.

It was only then that I noticed her flushed cheeks, and slightly ruffled clothes.

One person came to mind: Jasper.

"I see you ran into Jazzy on your way to school," Rosalie observed, grinning at Alice, who frowned a little at her mocking nickname for Jasper, but nonetheless grinned right back.

Jasper and Alice had just started dating about two weeks ago, after months of shameless flirting.

"Oh my gosh, you guys wouldn't believe what happened!" Alice shrieked, looking ready to explode.

"Oh please, spare me the gory details of what you and Jasper just did," I cringed, beginning my walk to class with Rosalie and Alice on either side of me.

"No, it has nothing to do with Jasper. Actually yes, it kind of has everything to do with Jasper. So anyway, we were getting really heated behind Building B at Jarvis- " Rosalie cut her off, mumbling, "Go figure."

Nevertheless, Alice continued her story, "-when all of a sudden, we hear this weird, coughing sound coming from behind us. Low and behold, Edward's standing right there, looking ready to throw up," Alice told the story, giggling at the end.

Edward was Alice's younger brother, who was a junior just like me, and whom I had yet to have the pleasure of meeting.

However, even though we hadn't met as yet, Alice constantly said that when we did, Edward and I would share an "instant connection".

_Yeah...ok._

I responded to Rosalie and Alice's laughing fit by saying, "Why are you guys laughing? That's awful. I remember when Rosalie and Emmett started dating, and I'd walk into the living room only to be scarred for life by the two of them making out on the couch."

If possible, my comment made them laugh even harder.

I'll admit, I even cracked a small smile at my own comment.

They both calmed down from their giggling fit after a few minutes, enough for Rosalie to sigh, "Yeah... I remember those days."

I blinked, scoffing, "'Those days', puh-lease. The same thing happened just _yesterday_!" I laughed when Rosalie's cheeks turned pink, before branching off with Alice to go to their respective classes.

Unfortunately, I was only a junior, while both my friends were seniors. So, the only class that I ever shared with them was Gym - since it was an open class for both juniors and seniors.

I sighed, making my way into my first period class, once again letting my mind wander to how awful my trip home at the end of the day was probably going to be.

* * *

After our playful banter in the morning, the day passed by slowly and uneventfully. Rosalie and Alice waved goodbye to me at the end of the day, heading over to Jarvis High to watch their respective boyfriends play football, while I headed to - cue gulp - the bus stop.

The fact that I also had to carry two, massive textbooks and one binder in my arms - in addition to my school bag - really wasn't helping this wonderful situation of travelling by bus.

To top that all off, I realized just when the bus came to a halt next to me that I didn't have exact money to go on the bus.

_Greeaaaat_, I thought sarcastically, deciding to let a few people get on the bus before me, before going on myself.

Just as I had previously predicted, the middle-aged male bus driver glared at me when I handed him a few dollars, taking his time to give me my twenty-five cents in change.

I shook my head, _bus drivers_.

Then, I proceeded to make my way down the narrow passage in the middle of the bus, searching for an empty seat.

Now as you can assume, my large pile of books hindered my vision, and to be honest, I hadn't really been watching where I was going.

So you could imagine, as I was walking down the aisle of seats, what happened next: I felt a solid impact in front of me, making me lose my grip on my books, sending them flying to the ground.

The stranger I had bumped into also happened to be holding a few books, so those went down to the floor as well.

I silently thanked Heaven above that I had chosen to carry the binder that zipped up in my hand, so all of my binder pages were still safely secure inside.

The stranger, as well, had luckily only been carrying textbooks. From the titles of the textbooks, I realized that this stranger was also in high school.

"I'm so sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going. Ugh, I'm such a klutz," I muttered the last part to myself, bending down to scoop up my books. A melodic chuckle, followed by a velvet-smooth voice, saying, "It's no problem," made me freeze mid-gather.

I chanced a glance at the stranger I had bumped into, and almost gasped when I saw a pair of sparkling, emerald green eyes staring right back into my brown ones.

Okay... so I guess taking the bus hadn't been that bad of a choice, after all.

* * *

**A/N: So I know that buses in Chicago aren't supposed to give you change, but I felt like it worked with the whole 'I-hate-taking-the-bus' mode that Bella had going.**

**Aaaaanyway, what was your honest opinion of this chapter? :) **

**xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry that I couldn't update sooner! I went to Canada for the weekend (missed school on Thursday and Friday) so I had a lot of catching up to do in in school when I got back home :s**

**I did get to read all of your wonderful reviews though… **

**Thank you to: **_**yellowporscheowner96, b1tch-breath, TwilightLoverGirl1, thelionismine, dr . meow1234, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Team Edward Rules All, titaniumhearts, romanceaholic, theresa24, se7en29, Sierraleaf, Jaymili, e (Guest), Ella1989, Scarlett Titania Gray, Bebeyeah, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, Rawr Olivia Grace, Pragmatic, Twilight RoeiSim23, **_**and 2 **_**Guests**_**, for reviewing.**

**This chapter is going to be in Edward's point of view. Ooooh :) **

**Enjoy!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight._

* * *

Chapter 3

Edward

I grabbed my moss-green school bag, slinging it over my shoulder before proceeding to leave the house. My parents had both already gone off to work, and my sister, Alice, had just left for school.

I made my way to the driveway, clicking the 'unlock' button on my car key, waiting to hear the familiar 'beep' that came along with it.

Except… there was no resounding 'beep'.

Furthermore, looking up, I saw that there was no silver Volvo parked up in the driveway, either.

Naturally, my first, immediate reaction was to freak the _hell_ out. Who in the world had stolen my car, and _how_ in the world could they have managed _that_?

I mean, my house was heavily secured, and I was certain that there would have been some sort of sign that my car had been stolen – broken glass, _something_.

Taking several, deep breaths, I pulled out my phone, ready to call '911'. My thumb was literally hovering over the 'Call' button, when I saw a message from Jasper.

The text was enough to temporarily distract me, and calm me down - if only slightly - and allow myself to _really _think about this whole situation. And then I exhaled, pinching the bridge of my nose, coming to a reasonable conclusion to why my car was missing:

_Alice. _

I mean, I should've figured that she'd pull a stunt like this. Her Porsche had been impounded since last night, and me, being the idiot that I had been, had politely refused to drive her to pick it up.

But before you start shaking your head at how awful of a brother I am, you should know that I was up to my ears with an English project that was due the next day – well, today now.

I really couldn't afford having Mr. Jones screaming his head off at me, giving me yet another one of his lectures on 'irresponsibility'.

Plus, it wasn't like I had completely cut her off. I _did_ say that I would drive her after school today. But apparently, that wasn't good enough for her.

I rolled my eyes, _sisters_.

It was one thing to borrow my car, but without leaving a note or letting me know in any form that she was going to use it? I shook my head, keeping my aggravation at my devil of a sister in check as I made my way to the bus stop.

Having no other way of transport since both of my friends were already at school, and a kleptomaniac had stolen my car, I had to resort to taking the bus.

So this day was off to a _wonderful_ start….

Not.

Pulling out my matte black iPhone, I plugged in the headphones and let the soothing sound of classical music flood through my ears. Listening to Debussy, thankfully, always managed to calm me down when I was in the worst of moods.

It was a few minutes before the intercity bus pulled up, and the metal doors slid open.

Hopping onto the bus, I paid the driver the appropriate amount of money, before making my way to an empty seat in the back - hopefully there wouldn't be anyone sitting around the area that I was at.

It wasn't that I was a loner, per se. But sometimes, certain people just knew how to get on my last nerve. Whether it be small-talkers, flirty girls, or gum chewers, some bus-travellers just did _not _float my boat.

Raking my pale fingers through my already unruly bronze hair, I tried to focus on happy things instead of the pure aggravation I was feeling towards Alice at the moment. I still couldn't believe what she had done.

When the bus came to a halt at my stop, I basically raced out, walking the short distance to the school compound of Jarvis High.

It was only when I walked up to my locker that Emmett, one of my close friends, bombarded me asking me something about some Chemistry homework that was due today.

I stopped him mid-sentence, cocking an eyebrow, "Bro, I'm not in your chem class… remember?" I chuckled when I saw his face fall. Sometimes Emmett forgot that I was still a junior in high school, since I only hung out with Jasper and him, who were both seniors.

Jasper and Emmett had both been immediate friends to me since I'd moved to Chicago from Alaska a few months ago. I guess I had found the juniors in my class to be a bit too immature for my liking.

Plus, there was the fact that Jasper was my sister's boyfriend, so I always wanted to keep an eye on him. You know, to make sure that he wasn't checking other girls out, or secretly cheating.

Not that he was the kind of person to do that, but still. I needed to look out for Alice. Even though she acted like a gremlin sometimes - for example, today - she still was my sister.

After a few minutes, Emmett's face lit up like a kid on Christmas day. It was pretty hilarious, I had to admit. His reaction had just proved the fact that although he was buff and intimidating on the outside, when you got to know him, Emmett was really as unthreatening as a Chihuahua.

"Wait, what about Jasper? He's in my chemistry class, right? Where is he?" Emmett asked frantically.

I shrugged, picking up the books I needed for first period. "He sometimes hangs out behind Building B," I suggested to Emmett. He nodded in thanks, turning on his heel to go look for Jasper.

It was only then that I took a good look at his uniform, if it should even be called a uniform.

I shook my head, stopping him with my hand, "Dude, go fix your uniform in the bathroom. Campbell will give you a detention if he sees you dressed like a hobo. _I'll_ go look for Jasper." I was referring to our principal, Jason Campbell, A.K.A. the strictest guy to ever walk the planet.

Emmett's amber eyes glinted with gratitude as he clapped me on the back. "Wow, thanks, man," he said before walking off to the washroom at school.

I nodded towards him, before shaking my head at my friend. I sometimes wondered how I was friends with him. I mean, we were sort of polar opposites.

I was reserved, shy, and smart, while he was... well, _Emmett_.

Clearing my head, I remembered the task at hand: find Jasper.

I had been hoping to start reading the new J.K. Rowling book before my classes started, but I guess that that wasn't going to happen at this rate.

Rounding the corner to the back of Building B, let's just say that I was not prepared for the sight that I witnessed.

I coughed, mentally throwing up when I saw him making-out with my sister… very, erm, passionately, it looked to me.

Cue cringe...or gag.

Really, either worked in this situation.

I looked away, coughing once more, "Jasper, Emmett's looking for you." Okay, so sue me for wanting to interrupt their 'moment', but it wasn't the most settling thing to see your sister getting attacked by someone's mouth.

I heard Jasper's labored breathing as he broke away from his lip-lock with Alice, "…Uhm, sorry, Edward…. Where is he?"

"Bathroom," I answered shortly, still avoiding looking at the two of them. Even though I appreciated his apology for his actions with my sister, it didn't erase the scarring image that was now forever imprinted in my mind.

It seemed that I'd be getting a lot more where those came from now that the two of them were officially a couple.

I saw Jasper walk away from my peripheral vision, and it was only when Alice was about to leave that I remembered my Volvo, and my head snapped towards her, "Alice, what the hell?"

I knew that Jasper would've sent me a death glare for speaking to Alice like this, even if I _was_ her brother, so I silently praised the Lord that he had already gone.

She only looked at me innocently, her blue eyes shining mischievously, "What ever do you mean, brother?"

I seethed, "Seriously Alice. I could've just driven you to school, then dropped you off at the impound lot after."

Alice only grinned, "Yes, you _could_ have. But where's the fun in that?... Oh, and if you don't mind, could you also take the bus after school? I'm staying back to watch the boys at football practice, so I'll need a ride back.

"And I know that you're skipping practice today to go to the library…so this should work out for the both of us."

I sighed, about to tell her that _she_ could take the bus after football practice while _I_ took _my _car_, _emphasis on the 'my'. But then she put her hands together in a begging motion, and actually made a sincere apology for borrowing my car this morning, saying that it would "never happen again" – yeah, _right. _

Still, at least she'd apologized, and honestly, I wasn't in the mood to really fight her on the matter. So, I muttered a, "Fine," making her clap her hands together, as she thanked me profusely.

Rolling my eyes at how this whole day was starting, I stalked off to class, slipping my hands into my pockets.

As I was leaving, I could've sworn I heard her mumble, "You'll thank me later."

Then again, it could've been my exhausted mind messing with me.

* * *

Thankfully, the rest of the day passed by without a hitch.

Lunch was eventful as always: Emmett, Jasper, and I, and the rest of our table were planning this elaborate prank to pull on Mr. Jones after he put me, Mike, and Tyler, out of class for 'talking excessively'.

The funny part was: we hadn't even been talking. I swear that all the teachers here either really hated their jobs, or were really bored with them - so punishing students was their only form of entertainment.

Other than English, classes were boring as usual, and Calculus was aggravating because there was a window placed right in the middle of the classroom - giving all of the boys a clear view of the girls at Haydn's College.

It would've been okay if the guys weren't constantly getting distracted and hindering Mr. Evans's lesson.

Seriously, I'm not being a nerd. Trust me, I hate doing work just as much as the next guy. But the thing is that if we didn't get our work done in class, it meant that teachers would just make up for it in the form of homework. And lots of it.

After taking out the textbooks I needed for my homework that night, I walked out of the school compound, making my way to the bus stop.

Long over my annoyance at Alice, I was now pretty nonchalant about taking the bus.

A few other students, from Jarvis High and Haydn's College alike, had gathered around the stop, so I let a few go on before me.

As I was walking down the aisle, I made sure that I had taken home everything that I needed, not in the mood to get home and realize that I had forgotten my Calculus textbook.

After a few minutes of shuffling through my bag, I sighed, realizing that I _really_ might have forgotten my calculus textbook in school.

"Crap," I cursed, turning around, going through my bag once again; ready to go back into school if I truly _had_ forgotten my textbook. But then I spotted the yellow book cover, and sighed in relief.

_Good_, I thought, pleased that at least one thing had gone right today.

I was about to turn back around and head to my seat when I felt a light impact to my chest. It was, however, enough to make me stumble, and drop my textbooks in surprise.

I bent down, looking for my books amongst the pile that had littered before me. It looked like the person I had bumped into had quite a bit of homework on their hands.

I certainly knew how that felt.

Reaching for my Biology textbook, I actually went rigid when I heard it... a bell-like voice apologizing, sounding like music to my ears, "I'm so sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going."

It was enough to make me forget about collecting my books, just so that I could see if the beautiful voice matched the person.

I hoped that I was wrong, knowing that I would probably make a complete fool out of myself in front of this girl if she was as breathtaking as she sounded.

And I _was_ wrong.

She wasn't _as_ breathtaking as she sounded. If possible, she was even more beautiful than her soft, chiming voice had made her out to be.

Her pale, smooth skin was a stark contrast to her dark brown locks which fell in soft waves down her shoulders.

Even though she wasn't standing up straight, I could tell that she had a slender, petite figure. _God_.

Her heart-shaped face contained perfect features: including plump red lips which were currently turned into a frown as she focused on the mess she had caused. I smiled unconsciously, she was adorable.

"Ugh, I'm such a klutz," she mumbled to herself, making me temporarily snap back into reality and stop my gawking.

I chuckled at her comment, "It's no problem," before returning to collecting my two books.

_Good job, Edward_, I congratulated myself, _you haven't embarrassed yourself yet_.

I had been avoiding looking back at her, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to have to control to look away.

But of course, I could only restrain myself for so long... and it was in that moment of weakness, that I was met with a pair of wide, chocolate brown eyes looking right back into my own; curiously, shyly.

The feeling that came with her looking at me like that was enough to cause the wind to rush out my lungs.

Well…damn.

* * *

**A/N: Oh my gosh, you don't even know how much editing I did for this one. I'm way happier with the outcome now.**

**The next chapter will be Edward's point of view continued. Hopefully it turns out alright! **

**Review!**

**xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, seriously… almost 60 reviews and I've only written 3 chapters! THANK YOU SO MUCH :) I love reading all of your reviews. So sweet.**

**Thank you to: ****_Bebeyeah, yellowporscheowner96, TeamAlecVolturiForever, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, se7en29, Team Edward Rules All, vampdreams, Ella1989, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, romanceaholic, TwilightLoverGirl1, Rawr Olivia Grace, dr . meow1234, Kat (Guest), _**_**Twilight RoeiSim23**_**_, _****and****_ Jaymili,_**** for reviewing!**

**Since you guys have just been wonderful in supporting my story, I've decided to post this chapter early. I keep doing that, huh? :P**

* * *

Chapter 4

Edward

I couldn't describe it, but it was the best feeling; looking into her eyes, her looking into my own. I wasn't one to believe in 'sharing a connection' with someone, but this sure felt a hell of a lot like it.

Her eyes held an intense amount of emotions, and I felt myself slipping further and further away from reality whilst looking into them.

After what felt like centuries, but were really only seconds, the moment broke when she looked down, returning to gathering up her books.

Even though I knew I should've probably done the same – looked away, I mean - I found myself still staring, transfixed on this girl before me.

_Okay, look away, Edward. Don't creep the girl out. _

But even though my mind was screaming at me to get up or clear my books, or just do _something_, my body was doing the opposite.

And not a moment later was I was glad that it had been, because this beautiful stranger made me smile with her next action: she blushed.

Her cheeks turned a dark shade of pink as she bit her bottom lip nervously, picking up her last book.

I realized that she truly had no idea how much those simple actions were making me more and more flustered by the minute.

She made a move to get up, and luckily, I snapped out my daze, getting up a second before she did. It would've been pretty embarrassing if she noticed that I had stayed on the ground, even after collecting my books.

Yikes.

"Again, I'm really sorry," her eyebrows crinkled as she looked up at me sincerely. I couldn't help myself from wandering to meet her chocolate brown eyes with my green ones. They were radiant, just like her.

_Ugh, snap out of it, Edward. Since when were you such a sap?_

It was excruciatingly difficult for me_ not_ to reply with, "I'm not." But I managed, instead, smiling slightly and shrugging, "Happens all the time."

My comment made her giggle, which in turn, rendered me speechless. _Okay, what the hell?_ This girl was seriously making me feel things that I'd never felt before. And I didn't even know her for crying out loud.

She arched a perfectly-shaped eyebrow at me, "Really?"

I chuckled, running my free hand through my copper-toned hair, "Honestly? …No. I'm just trying to make you feel better." I met her eyes, finding her already staring at me with her mouth slightly agape.

She closed it quickly when I looked at her, making me wonder why she'd been staring at me like that in the first place.

Wait a minute: she had been looking at me... So that meant that this wasn't just some sort of one-sided, weird, staring thing.

I mentally sighed, not allowing myself to get my hopes up that this girl could possibly feel some sort of attraction for me. I had probably just had something on my face. My eyes widened slightly at that thought.

God, I hoped not. Discreetly, I passed my hand across my cheek, looking down at it a moment later.

_Phew, nothing there._

"Thank you," the girl smiled softly, sounding touched at my words, and not seeming to have noticed my odd actions.

I found myself once again, looking at her, desperately trying to find something wrong with this girl. Anything to make me be able to say goodbye and forget her, because I knew for a fact that someone this amazing deserved so much better than me. And that thought killed me.

Unfortunately, I found nothing: all I saw was genuineness in this girl.

I sighed, smiling back, about to start up some small talk about the weather – I couldn't walk away now - when I realized that the bus had already started moving, and she probably wanted to sit down.

Also, we were probably looking quite awkward just standing in the middle of the aisle. Not that I cared, but maybe she did. My suspicions were proven right when I saw her glance at a few empty seats in the back.

I felt a little dejected that this had to be the end of our conversation, secretly wanting to ask her to come sit with me. But that would be way too forward of me, so instead, I left her with a, "Um, I guess, bye?" before turning to walk to a seat.

_Smooth, Edward… real smooth._

But thankfully, I saved myself some dignity by making the first move to leave after all the previous staring I had done to her. I was seriously surprised this girl hadn't run away from me from all the googly-eyes I had made at her.

When I did finally arrive at my seat however, I was pretty sure that I looked as if my dog had just died.

It had felt like my day which had just momentarily brightened, had just once again lost all of its shine as I walked away from her.

_Gosh, I was sounding more and more cheesy by the second, but it was true._

And as much as I wanted to be one of those guys who went, "I barely know you, but, you wanna go out?" to the cute girl, I wasn't.

So instead, I chose a good song to listen to before putting in my headphones. I checked my text messages quickly and began to reply; trying to distract myself from all the confusing emotions I was feeling.

As I was replying to Jasper, I noticed the seat to my left getting occupied. I almost wanted to tell that person to find a new seat, especially if they were one of those talkative types. They annoyed me to no end.

But then I almost dropped my phone when I heard it again, _her_ voice, "Hi... again. I promise I'm not stalking you… There's just nowhere else to sit. Do you mind?"

For a minute, I thought I had been imagining her voice - I debated on whether I was going crazy or not - but then I turned to my left and saw her.

Yup, I was still sane.

She had a small smile on her flawless face as she looked at me.

I wanted to stand up and thank the Heavens for being on my side for once.

_Yesssss_, I mentally cheered in my mind… I guess not all hope had been lost for me.

For now, at least.

Not wanting to let this opportunity slip away from me, I smiled crookedly at the stranger, shaking my head slightly, "It's alright, I don't mind."

Then I extended my hand, "I'm Edward, by the way."

So shoot me for wanting to put a name to her face. As much as I liked calling her beautiful stranger in my head, I imagined that it would be a little weird if I called her that out loud.

"Bella," she said, taking my hand in hers. The two prominent thoughts in my mind at that moment related to how much Bella's name suited her - it after all meant 'beautiful' in Italian, which she most definitely was - and how perfectly her soft hand fit in mine.

I released her hand after a minute, slightly crestfallen from the loss of contact.

Almost instantly, we smiled, before we both took out our respective electronics. A comfortable silence passed between us, but after a few minutes of texting Jasper, the silence started to feel deafening. I was dying to say something….anything, to her. Time was quickly ticking away, and it was soon going to be my stop. Seriously, why couldn't I be forward, just this once?

"So, you go to Jarvis High?" Bella had put her white iPhone back into her skirt pocket, pointing to my tie which had my school emblem printed on it. Grateful that she had initiated a conversation, I smiled, "Yeah. Haydn's College?"

She smiled, nodding, "Yup."

Bella opened her mouth to ask me something else, and I waited in anticipation for her next question.

I seriously felt like a fish out of water around her.

But then I watched as the bus slowed down at my stop. I almost groaned in frustration out loud.

Honestly, when I had first come on the bus, I had just wanted the bus ride to be over and done with so that I could get started on my homework. But then this beautiful stranger - well, Bella - bumped into me, and I found myself almost wanting to miss my stop.

Almost. I really had wanted to see where this conversation would go, but at the same time, I had known that it was inevitable that it would end. Even if I missed my stop, she'd have to get off at hers and I'd definitely look like a stalker if I got off with her.

"This is my stop," I stated, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice as I got up.

"Oh," she replied, looking down into her lap, an adorable frown on her face. I opened my mouth about to say something else, but I couldn't seem to get the words out.

_Ask her for her number, you dimwit,_ my mind seemed to be working faster than my body.

"Do you mind if I have your number?" I blurted, running one of my hands through my hair. It was a habit I had picked up whenever I got nervous, or frustrated.

In this case, I was incredibly nervous.

Immediately after the question slipped out of my mouth, I wanted to slap myself. _We're practically strangers; of course she's not going to give out her number just like that, _I berated myself.

"Sure," a smile spread across her face. _Then again, what did I know? _I continued my train of thought after hearing her answer.

I tried but failed to stop smiling as she timidly took my phone from my hand – which I hadn't realized until this point, had been outstretched. She quickly added herself as a contact, handing me back my black iPhone.

"I'll talk to you later, Bella," I grinned crookedly.

"Bye, Edward," she smiled once more, letting me go.

I walked down the stairs of the bus, practically grinning from ear to ear on my way inside the public library.

Seriously, people were even starting to give me strange looks. But I found myself not caring what other people thought of my unnatural happiness. I'd gotten a gorgeous girl's phone number.

Suddenly, my homework didn't seem so tedious, and I finished it in top speed. I even got in some time to study.

Even though I really had wanted to get my work done, I'll admit that quite a bit of my motivation stemmed from the fact that I wanted to text Bella soon.

* * *

I took the bus home, arriving to see my silver Volvo parked in its usual place. I breathed a sigh of relief, having secretly thought that Alice would manage to get this one impounded as well.

Upon opening the door, I was bombarded by - speak of the Devil- Alice asking if anything 'interesting' had happened on the bus.

Intuitive, much?

"Not really," I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, about to side-step her.

She blocked my passage, "Uh huh, sure…. What's her name?"

I guess I still hadn't learned my lesson that nothing gets past Alice. She literally always knew what was going on. Not just with me, but with basically everyone else.

She walked into the kitchen, sitting on top of one of the barstools, resting her chin on her palm. From her position, I decided that she wasn't going to let this go.

I sighed, "Bella... I don't know her last name yet. She's, well… unlike any other girl I've ever met." I answered truthfully, knowing that Alice would weasel it out of me eventually anyway.

She bit her lip, her blue eyes sparkling, looking like she really wanted to say something. I was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute.

I didn't particularly want to discuss who I liked, with my sister, even though we were pretty close.

Then she nodded, "Cool. What school does she go to?"

"Same school as you… actually. Hey, don't you have a friend named Bella?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. This conversation was getting way too coincidental for my liking.

I really didn't want to date one of Alice's friends – and she knew that - in case things didn't work out between us and I ended up jeopardizing their friendship.

At the same, I couldn't stop thinking about Bella.

Alice shrugged, "I highly doubt that. There are like, five other Bellas in my grade. It's a surprisingly common name. Plus, the one that I know is Emmett's sister. She never takes the bus; Emmett would drive her home if her car stopped working."

My eyes were still narrowed in suspicion towards her, but I relaxed slightly.

So _there_ was another reason why I didn't want to hang out with Alice's friend. She was also Emmett's, sister.

He would kill me - even if I was his best friend - if I started developing feelings for his sister, the way he talked about how much he hated all the guys who hit on her.

After a few seconds, I left my sister, who had already started texting Jasper.

Then I walked up the stairs to my room, glad that there was a huge chance that this Bella who had bumped into me on the bus, wasn't Emmett's sister - because that would seriously complicate things, as much as I was starting to like her.

I had to admit it to myself though, that even if she _was_ Emmett's sister, it wouldn't change the feelings I was starting to develop for her.

Kicking off my shoes, and getting dressed to go to bed, I let out a huge sigh, letting my mind drift to Bella. From her eyes that held so much depth, to her smile that made me automatically want to smile back, she really was different than every other girl I'd met.

Not only was she breathtaking, but I could tell that she was smart and modest as well.

I sent a short text to her:

Hey, it's Edward. Just wanted to let you have my number, since I have yours.

Have a good night.

I read it over a few times, not feeling over-confident about it, but feeling like it was good enough for now.

I hoped that eventually our conversations would flow more smoothly. I really did want to get to that point with her.

Yes, I didn't know anything about Bella as yet, and there was a possibility that my feelings for her would eventually dissipate. But I had a feeling deep down in the pit of my stomach, that things wouldn't turn out that way.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, yes, he doesn't know that Bella is Emmett's sister (though he definitely has some huge suspicions about it). I'm trying to make this story as realistic as possible though, so both Bella and Edward will find out who either of them really are soon enough :p **

**Thank you so much for all of the sweet reviews! Hope I don't disappoint :)**

**xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to: **_**Rawr Olivia Grace, yellowporscheowner96, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, b1tch-breath, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, theresa24, TwilightLoverGirl1, Ella1989, Jaymili, cardgirl91, Twilight RoeiSim23, vampdreams, dr . meow1234,**_** and **_**se7en29**_**, for reviewing.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Bella

It had been a few hours since I'd jumped off the bus, but my body was still tingling - especially my hand, A.K.A the area that Edward had touched when he shook it.

Not only had I completely embarrassed myself by bumping into some random stranger, but I'd later realized that the random stranger happened to be a gorgeous Jarvis High student.

I sighed, _kill me now._

I was completely sure that he found me unbearably annoying. First, I bumped into him and dropped all of his books in the process, _then_ I couldn't stop drooling over how absolutely amazing he looked when he ran his fingers through his hair - his interestingly toned dark brown hair.

Everything about Edward - A.K.A. the gorgeous guy I'd bumped into – lured me in. From his looks, to his unconscious charm, he made my knees feel like Jell-O in a matter of seconds.

I'd only gotten to glance at his face for a few seconds, but I felt like his image was still imprinted in my mind.

He had a well-defined jawline which complimented his other equally perfect features nicely. His nose was quite angular giving his face a chiseled look, while his relatively thick eyebrows were dark – a stark contrast to his shining emerald green eyes. When I had let myself look into those eyes, I'd slowly forgotten what I had been doing, and where I was.

Cue swoon.

Last, but definitely not least: his lips, which had been upturned into a breathtaking crooked grin, were completely kissable, broadcasting straight white teeth. I basically had to tear my eyes away from looking at his lips before I actually did lean in and kiss him.

That would've been a little awkward.

When he had stood up after collecting his books, I had received the opportunity to give him a full once-over... And it was at that moment that I truly understood what it felt like to be breathless.

He was tall, towering over me by at least half a foot. He looked dashing in his uniform, from his ironed trousers, to his tucked-in shirt and loosened tie.

Even in his uniform, I could tell he was muscular from the way his body tensed up when I had sat next to him later on in the bus.

I groaned, rolling back on my bed with my hands covering my face. He probably thought I was yet another one of the many girls pining after him – because with looks and a body like that, I was sure he had loads of followers.

I couldn't believe I had gone and sat next to him, when I could've easily just stood up for the rest of the bus ride and basically prevented him from thinking that I was a creepy stalker.

Then again, I couldn't bring myself to fully regret my action. Because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten his name, and he wouldn't have asked for my number.

I felt my cheeks warm up just thinking about when he had asked for my number.

Of course, I'd kept my cool, but on the inside, I basically wanted to scream and dance around with joy.

I couldn't even fathom the thought of someone like him even remotely being attracted to someone as plain and boring as me.

Maybe this was all one of Emmett's elaborate pranks to pull on me… yet even that sounded like an unlikely possibility; Emmett wasn't that mean. Nor would he willingly 'set me up' with someone.

He was way too protective for that.

I took another deep breath, mulling over my thoughts.

Not once in my life had I felt so strongly attracted to anyone, let alone a complete stranger.

But Edward wasn't just anyone. He was in his own category. Everything about him screamed that he was different than all of the guys I'd ever met. He wasn't cocky; even though he was undeniably gorgeous, he didn't flaunt it. He was polite and amiable, but even so, I could tell that he was pretty reserved.

I had a crush on him…. Big time. No one had ever made me feel so warm and fuzzy with just a smile and a few words.

I sighed once more; this time, heavily. Because I knew that there was a huge chance that he already had a girlfriend. Maybe I was overanalyzing the reason behind him asking for my phone number. Maybe he was just looking for a friend.

_No_, I told myself. _I needed to stop thinking about Edward and whether or not he liked me like I liked him._

As I took out my laptop to print out my Biology lab write-up, I felt my phone buzz from beside me. Picking it up, I realized that it was a text from an unknown number:

Hey, it's Edward. Just wanted to let you have my number, since I have yours.

Have a good night.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling, knowing that I was definitely going to have a good night because of this one little text.

His one text had sent all of my pessimistic thoughts straight out the window.

I smiled, rereading the text and waiting a few minutes before replying him, not wanting to come across as desperate.

**Hi, Edward. Thanks for that :)**

**I will. Hope you have a good night yourself.**

I debated on whether I should've put in an extra smiley face or not, but then I decided to just leave the text as it was, in case he wasn't a smiley face kind of guy… Which I highly doubted, but still.

After sending Edward the reply, I quickly printed out my Biology project, shoving the papers into a folder that I then tucked neatly into my school bag.

I glanced to my right, looking towards my nightstand, seeing the bold numbers '10:30' flashing at me from my clock. Even though it was still relatively early, I decided to call it a night, yawning softly before turning off my light and pulling the duvet on my bed over me.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my radio alarm blaring 'State of Grace' by Taylor Swift. All I wanted to do was hit the 'Snooze' button and pull the covers tightly across my body – and basically _never_ get out of bed - but I knew that I had to go to school.

After all, it was only a few more weeks before we closed for Spring break.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, combing my pale, slim fingers through my hair before heading to the shower. The one thing I enjoyed about going to a private school was the fact that no time was wasted in picking out a nice outfit for the day; there was only one outfit you could wear – your uniform.

I dabbed on a bit of make-up, picking up my phone before heading down the stairs.

Whilst eating a quick breakfast, I made small talk with my mom, before making my way outside into the freezing Chicago winter air. I thanked the Heavens that it would soon be spring, and I would therefore be temporarily free of this frosty weather.

I suppressed a shiver, already feeling my light pink cheeks darken as I made my way into the driveway.

I unconsciously smiled upon seeing my black Audi parked right in front of me, basically calling my name to come take it for a spin.

Even though yesterday had been an exception to my horrible line of traumatic bus experiences, I knew that it was only a one-time thing.

And I only wanted it to be a one-time thing, actually. I didn't _want_ to bump into another random stranger because I knew with every fibre of my being that none of them would ever compare to Edward. In looks and personality.

I sighed dreamily. _Edward._

Just thinking about him made goosebumps rise up on my arms, and I even felt my cheeks heat up a bit.

No guy had ever gotten a reaction like this out of me, and I guess it wasn't really that much of a surprise. No guy was Edward.

I hopped into my car, turning on the heat.

Whilst getting warmed up, I decided to check my messages, knowing that Alice probably sent me a text while I was sleeping. She was so hyper I didn't think she ever managed to sleep at all.

I was right: '4 unread messages from Alice Cullen' I rolled my eyes after seeing that most of them were talking about how excited she was for the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars tonight.

However, one of them was actually relevant: a reminder of the fact that she was throwing a surprise birthday party for Jasper at her house next week.

I quickly replied to her messages, about to exit the menu when I noticed that I had one more unread message… from Edward. I didn't even bother to hide the smile that spread across my face seeing his name and message appear on my screen:

Hey Bella,

I'm really sorry to bother you so early :-/ but I was just wondering if you happened to take up my Physics textbook by accident yesterday? It's just because I think I have yours….

My eyes widened at the end, _Oh crap. _I quickly rummaged through my school bag, hoping and praying that his book was in my bag.

After a few seconds of shuffling around, I saw a textbook that I noticed, upon closer observation, wasn't my own. _How the hell did I miss that?_ I groaned, feeling like such an idiot, sending Edward a reply:

**Oh my gosh :s I am so sorry, Edward! I just checked, and I do have it.**

**Oh geez, are you at school now? I can meet you at the entrance, if you want. I really am sorry about that!**

I bit on my lip forcefully. He definitely hated me now, but was probably way too polite to show it. _Great job, Bella. Not only do you knock into him, but you also steal one of his books!_ _Seriously?_

I decided that berating myself for my ridiculous mistake was really not going to get me anywhere, so I changed the gears on my car, pulling out of my driveway, making my way to school.

I checked for a reply from Edward at the first stop light I got, surprised to see a new message. I almost didn't want to open at first, just in case he told me that I was a moronic, accident-prone maniac.

Because, I mean, it sort of was true.

Then I just opened it anyway, because Edward didn't really seem like the kind of guy to outright say that, no matter how spot-on it was.

I turned out to be right on that note:

No worries! Please don't beat yourself up, it's really okay. I barely even use it anyway, but in the off chance that I do need it today, I really want to avoid Mr. Lane kicking me out of class :s

Sure, that sounds perfect, meet you there :)

Why did he have to be so nice? He made me feel even more awful about temporarily stealing his textbook.

I shook my head, driving the short distance to Haydn's College and parking up quickly. I took out Edward's textbook, and just as I was about to leave my car, I suddenly realized something….I had Edward's textbook. Which meant that I could get some sort of information about him from it.

I wondered if it would be a violation of his privacy if I opened it and saw if he had his full name written inside. _Yes, Bella, it would be, _I told myself just as I was about to open the book. _Darn, stupid conscience_.

I firmly gripped the textbook, making my way across the road, only looking up when I was safely standing at the entrance to Jarvis High.

It was then that I spotted a familiar pair of green eyes and dark hair attached to an equally handsome face and body. I tried not to look completely ashen as I made my way to him.

I couldn't help it. I felt terrible about inconveniencing him like this.

"You don't even understand how sorry I am. I seriously had no idea that I picked up the wrong book. I'm so dumb," I said the last part to myself, squeaking slightly. We exchanged books quickly, and Edward only shook his head.

A crooked grin formed on his perfect face, reaching his deep green eyes, "Bella, please stop apologizing. I'm begging you. You have nothing to be sorry about. It was an honest mistake."

"'Honest mistake'? I'm pretty sure in a lot of countries that what I did is called _'stealing'_," I enunciated the 'stealing', putting my hand on my forehead.

This lead to him biting his lip – dear Lord, how much hotter could he get? – looking like he was holding in a laugh.

"You didn't steal my book on purpose, Bella. It was an accident, am I right?" was it weird that my heart stopped beating every time he said my name. I just loved the way it sounded coming from his lips.

I blinked, bringing myself back to reality, only sighing, "Yes, it was. I'm still really sorry though, Edward."

I almost died when he stretched out his right arm, touching my left forearm. An electric shock shot up my hand, and I almost jerked it back in surprise.

Thankfully I didn't, because I liked the feeling of his hand on mine.

_Wow, I am such a little freak. _I was getting obsessed with this guy. This was really unhealthy.

"I forgive you. I mean, it was incredibly hard for me to do so…. But, I forgive you anyway," Edward sighed, before smiling showing me that he was only joking.

I shook my head, a smile gracing my lips, "Fine, fine. I'll let it go."

"Good," he smiled, looking over at me for a few seconds, before looking down at his shoes. I couldn't help but gape over how amazing he looked in his uniform plus his black winter coat.

He ran his hands through his hair, sighing, before looking up at me.

"Listen, I was wondering if y-" his sentence was cut off by some blond-haired baby-faced guy, shouting, "Hey Edward!"

He ran over to us, and I didn't miss the flash of annoyance which flickered across Edward's face at the interruption.

"Yes, Mike," Edward said, exhaling, looking apologetically at me before turning to his friend.

"Have you seen Tyler around anywhere? Lauren's having a mental breakdown, and she's asking for him," the boy, Mike, panted.

Edward only shook his head, "Nah, you can ask Eric though. I think he might know where he is."

Just as Mike was about to turn away and go look for whoever it was he needed to look for, he stopped dead in his tracks.

He had noticed my presence, I guess, and I watched as his cheeks flushed. Mike straightened, stuffing his hands into his pockets, I guess in an attempt to look 'cool'.

_Okay then._

"Who's this?" Mike gestured to me like a piece of fresh meat. This guy was already starting to unnerve me.

I looked to Edward who had a grimace on his face, almost like he didn't want to introduce us, before he sighed, "Bella, Mike. Mike, Bella."

Mike grinned. Except unlike Edward's perfectly charming, swoon-worthy, crooked one, Mike's came out like a chesire cat.

_Not scary at all…._I thought sarcastically.

He stretched out his hand for me to take, but thankfully, just in that second, I heard my school bell ring in the distance. _Saved by the bell._ I sighed in relief.

"I have to go now," I gestured to my school across the street.

I continued, "But it was nice meeting you, Mike. Talk to you later?" I turned to Edward, who smiled before nodding. I hadn't forgotten that he still needed to tell me whatever he was trying to tell me before Mike had so rudely interrupted us.

I turned away from the boys, quickly, but carefully, racing across the street to my school compound. About a few metres from my building, I felt the sensation that someone was watching me, and turned around, pleasantly surprised to see Edward still standing outside the entrance to his school – Mike had run off somewhere – looking right at me.

I blushed crimson, freezing in my spot. He gulped, ducking his head, ashamed at getting caught staring at my retreating figure. I guess he thought I'd be mad or weirded out or something.

Surprise, surprise, I wasn't. I was more intensely flattered than anything – but he didn't need to know that.

After a second or so, he looked up at me with the cutest, most embarrassed expression on his face. I blushed even more, smiling, before waving goodbye to him.

I guess it was my way of shrugging off the whole thing, because I seriously didn't mind.

He waved back, grinning, I guess glad that I had dissipated the awkwardness.

_Gosh, that perfect crooked grin made butterflies rise up in stomach._ I shook my head, clearing it, as I made my way to class.

What was it about him that made me feel so… different?

* * *

**A/N: So, how was it?**

**Leave me a review, letting me know what you thought of the chapter :) **

**xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to: **_**cbmorefie, Atzy,Bebeyeah, gemma loves edward, sidra (Guest), Firekikalata, I'm A Sucker For Love Stories, Hope Edwards, Rawr Olivia Grace, yellowporscheowner96, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Ella1989, Jaymili, cardgirl91, TeamAlecVolturiForever, Twilight RoeiSim23, dr . meow1234,**_** and **_**se7en29**_**, for reviewing.**

**:O :O :O early update? what a surprise! :P**

* * *

Chapter 6

Bella

The day passed by monotonously after I returned Edward's book to him. Not even Alice and Rosalie's distractions were enough to keep me entertained after leaving him. I kept wondering what he had been planning to ask me before Mike had interrupted him.

It had almost sounded like he was going to ask me out...

But no, I doubted that. He probably thought of me as annoying; maybe he was going to ask if I could just leave him alone. Yeah, that sounded more probable.

I sighed, clearing my head before getting into my car and heading home. It was the end of the week, thank the Lord, so after going home, I planned to go to the city mall to do some weekend shopping. I vaguely remembered that Abercrombie & Fitch had a '50% off' sale on all sweatpants - I basically lived in those at home.

Opening the door to my three-story house, I called out, "I'm home!" in case anyone was here. My suspicions were proven right when I heard a loud voice call back, "Bellsy boo, we're in the kitchen!"

I rolled my eyes, giggling slightly. Emmett…

I wondered who the 'we're' included as I entered the modernized kitchen.

I received my answer when I spotted Alice, Rosalie and Emmett standing around the kitchen counter, talking amongst themselves. "We're running through the final plans for Jasper's surprise birthday party," Rosalie explained, smiling towards me.

I smiled back, hopping onto one of the remaining bar stools around the marble counter, "Cool. So what exactly _are_ the plans?" Alice had kept switching her mind about the time that everyone was supposed to arrive, and where she was going to host the party etc. Hopefully, this time, her plans were going to be set in stone.

"Okay, so _my_ brother and _your_ brother are going to be distracting Jasper while me, you, and Rosalie will be helping set up for the party. It's not going to be a lot to do, because I took care of most of the decorations already, and the cake. All you guys will have to do is maybe set out the cups or something.

She took a deep breath before continuing, "Everyone invited to the party will be at my house by 5:30 - besides the boys who will come at 6:00. Got it?" Alice explained, raising her shapely black eyebrows at me.

I nodded, "Yep. I think so." It was quite a bit to take in all at once, but I think I'd gotten the gist.

Alice smiled, clapping her hands together, "Okay then. What do you guys want to do now?"

We all looked at one another questioningly, before I spoke up slowly, already knowing what Alice's reaction would be, "I was planning on going….to the mall….to do some shopping…."

A piercing scream, accompanied by jumping around was Alice's response to my statement. "Yay! Well then what are we waiting for...Let's go!"

"How about… 'no'," was Emmett's reply, as he shook his head. "I've done enough shopping with you girls to last me for a _lifetime_." He made a dramatic hand gesture when he said 'lifetime' before he stood up, going to the fridge.

Us girls gave him equally disapproving looks when he turned back around, but he just shrugged. "Bye, babe," he gave Rosalie a long, deep kiss, before heading upstairs.

"It's nice to know that you'd much rather play some dumb video games than hang out with your girlfriend!" Rosalie huffed, shaking her head.

"Rose, don't take it personally. It's not your fault he has an unhealthy relationship with his Xbox," I patted her on the shoulder, before the three of us burst out laughing.

"True, true," Rosalie giggled before we all headed out in her bright red BMW. We mainly spent the car ride talking about how excited we were for the party next week, and congratulated Alice for being such a good actress and not spilling the beans to Jasper. She was great at keeping secrets, mind you. But Jasper had a way of just figuring out what was up her sleeve.

* * *

Arriving at the mall, I noted that the car park was full – normal for a Friday afternoon in Chicago.

Tons of people from Jarvis High and Haydn's College hung out at the mall which was both good and bad. Good because there was never a shortage of cute guys to nonchalantly look at, but bad because there were also a lot of snobs from school who greeted you with the fakest 'hi' ever.

Upon walking into the mall, the girls and I started shopping at Aldo. I was in need of some new pairs of shoes, and this store had just what I was looking for. I scanned the shoe shelves for a few minutes, picking out the shoes I wanted the most before asking the clerk if any of them were in my size.

Cashing out my items, I ended up with five pairs of shoes while Alice got seven and Rose got four. We had all gotten our party shoes with that one trip as well.

"We're gonna go to Gucci to check out some of the in-season purses. Coming?" Alice turned to me. I shook my head, politely declining their offer, explaining that I wanted to head to A&F to get some of my much-needed sweats.

"'Kay, we'll meet up at Subway around six, then?" Alice replied, to which I nodded, before branching off from my friends. I entered the dimly-lit store which always seemed to smell like Axe, wandering around before looking for the sweats section.

I ended up picking up two T-shirts and a new hoodie before I got three new pairs of sweat pants.

As I was ready to turn around, I felt a solid object come into contact with my body.

_Not again_, I thought to myself, as I wobbled around.

"We need to stop meeting like this," a velvety smooth voice chuckled, steadying me with both hands. No. Please don't let it be…

"Edward?" I asked, taken aback. "Oh gosh, I'm-" he cut me off before I could say the word 'sorry'.

"You need to stop apologizing, Bella. Especially for things that aren't even your fault," Edward said, smiling, but looking completely honest. He made me temporarily go incoherent.

Thankfully, I got my brain working enough to manage out a, "Sorry… oh wait," then I made an 'oops' face. He laughed at me, making me laugh a bit as well. I guess at my stupidity - it was pretty humourous, after all.

"So how's your shopping going?" Edward asked after a few seconds.

He glanced at my pile of clothes before looking back at my face. "Actually, I'm just about finished," I answered his question, a small smile on my face.

"Great," he smiled, looking down at his shoes. He seemed nervous for some reason, running his right hand through his soft-looking bronze hair - that looked even better in the dim-lighting, I might add.

"Umm…are you doing anything else after this? Or would you able to join me for some coffee?" then he did something that almost made my knees give out: he looked at me from under his eyelashes; the pools of green that were his eyes only filled with pure curiosity and a hint of anxiety. I had to keep my mouth from falling open at how incredibly handsome he was. It was like looking at a God.

"S-sure," I breathed out, feeling my face heat up. My answer resulted in Edward breaking out in his infamous breathtaking, crooked grin that I'd already grown to like…very, very much. I excused myself quickly, walking to the cashier to pay for my stuff, and getting my bag of clothes before heading back to meet him.

Edward stood in the same spot, using his phone, but as soon as I was within about two feet of him, he put it away, looking towards me with a small smile on his face. It was like he'd sensed my presence or something.

I tried not to dwell on that thought too much as we walked out of the store towards Starbucks. It wasn't a long walk, but we still ended up starting up a conversation. It was a pleasant walk, and I felt my footsteps fall in time with his. He had longer strides than me though, so after a while, I had to switch up my pace to keep up with him. He chuckled when he noticed this, slowing down slightly, thereby making me blush.

* * *

After ordering our respective coffees, we both sat down across from each other at one of the many tables in the room. I had already checked the time, and knew that I had at least an hour and a half before I had to go meet up with my friends.

"So Mike, huh? He's an interesting fellow…" I left the sentence hanging as Edward chuckled.

"Yeah, he's pretty overbearing at times," he shook his head, agreeing with me.

"How are you two, friends?" I wondered aloud. Almost immediately, I wanted to knock my head against the table. _Bad question to ask, Bella. That's his friend, after all._

_Great, now he's going to think you're a bitch. _

Edward surprised me with his answer though, "We're not really friends. More of acquaintances. He hangs out with my friends, so I'm kind of forced into hanging out with him occasionally."

"He kind of hates me now, though," Edward wrinkled his eyebrows. I took a sip of my coffee, raising my eyebrows. "How come? This morning, things seemed pretty normal. Or was I just imagining that?" I voiced my confusion.

"No, we _were_ normal… until lunch. But we shouldn't go there," he ended, not meeting my eyes.

"So what are you doing for the weekend?" Edward asked, finally looking up at me.

I didn't particularly like the way he had avoided my question and switched topics, but I went along with it. "Well, um… actually…nothing. Wow, I'm so boring," I whispered the last part, but apparently Edward had heard because he laughed lightly.

"You're not boring. Or if you are, I'm boring as well, because I'm not doing anything either," Edward smiled, making me smile back.

It was almost like a movie. We both looked up at the same time, locking eyes with each other. A comfortable silence passed, with just us looking at each other. It would've been quite creepy if I was doing this with anyone else, but it just felt normal to get lost in Edward's emerald eyes.

"Bella?" Edward asked, sounded dazed.

"Yeah?" I sighed breathily.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked, leaning forward on the table.

I felt myself getting pulled deeper and deeper into the depths of his eyes, and I saw nothing but hope and a hint of nervousness in them.

Wait… what? He was asking me out. Holy crap, he was asking me out!

At first, I sat stock-still, mind racing. I debated on whether he was asking me out on a date-date, or whether he just wanted to hang out as friends.

But then I scratched off the second option, knowing that if he'd wanted to just meet up as friends, he would've phrased his question differently, like, "I wouldn't mind doing this again. You know, hanging out? You seem like a cool person."

Was he actually asking me out on a date? I pinched my wrist under the table. Yup, this wasn't a dream.

"Yes," I nodded, still entranced by his very presence.

Edward exhaled, blinking, thereby breaking our stare-off.

"Seriously?" Edward asked, looking shocked, but pleased, that I had said 'yes'.

I giggled at his confused expression, blushing whilst nodding, "Seriously."

I still couldn't believe that that had just ensued. Edward was going to take me out on a date, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't jumping around like a crazy person on the inside.

You would think that after him asking me out, things would get super weird and we'd just not look at each other until I had to leave.

But that didn't happen at all, as much as I had expected it. Edward smiled, his green eyes sparkling, before he started up a conversation about a totally unrelated topic.

After an hour of talking, and laughing with Edward, I felt satisfied in knowing that I knew enough about the person I was going to go out with. I definitely wanted to find out more about him though.

"I think I have to go now," I glanced at my phone, realizing that it was already 6:00. Alice would be calling soon, for sure.

"I'll pick you up around two, tomorrow?" Edward suggested, standing up to walk with me. He picked up both of our cups, throwing them away on our way out. I thanked him for that before nodding, "I'll text you my address."

He walked me to the food court, even though he really didn't have to. "I'm happy we bumped into each other…again," he smiled, looking down at me. Yes, he had to look down at me because I was so short compared to him.

I smiled, blushing slightly at his inference, "Me too."

"...So, I guess, bye for now," Edward smiled, but at the same time, he looked a bit conflicted, like he wasn't sure what he should do now.

I smiled at how nervous he seemed to be acting. I guess it made me reassured that he got tongue tied around me too.

"Bye Edward," I said.

And then I did something completely unconsciously, that, afterwards, made me want to crawl into a hole and _never _come out:

I reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

Mortified doesn't even _describe _how I felt after I had done that. Had someone controlled my mind temporarily? It was like one minute, I was thinking about going to find Alice and Rose, and then the next minute, I was tip-toeing up and kissing him.

I couldn't believe I had just put my lips to Edward's cheek. Oh my gosh. No.

It had just been a light peck and I had immediately pulled away after realizing what I had done. But it didn't undo the fact that I had kissed him on the cheek.

When I chanced a glance at Edward's face, my embarrassment doubled. His jaw hung slightly open, and he was just staring at me. Then he looked down, pursing his lips before full-on grinning.

I didn't stay to hear his response, making a squeaking sound before speed-walking away.

However, I wasn't quick enough to make him completely go out of my hearing range.

I vaguely heard him whisper, "See you tomorrow, Bella." Then I thanked the Heavens that he had said 'tomorrow'. As in, he still wanted to go out with me. I breathed a sigh of relief, calming my racing heart down.

I couldn't believe that I had kissed a guy on the cheek after knowing him for a little over a day. That just wasn't the way I rolled.

But around Edward, something always managed to come over me, making me completely lose all my inhibitions.

_This was not good. _

I took several more deep breaths, not wanting to seem overly flustered when I met my friends.

But anyway, it wasn't like if I was going to keep my date with Edward a secret, so it didn't really matter if I looked like if I had just been electrocuted. I bounded up to friends, biting my lip.

"You guys would not_ believe_ what just happened," I stated, before sitting down next to Rosalie.

They both looked at each other, before looking towards me.

"_Spill_," they said in unison.

* * *

**A/N:** **So? What did you guys think? Hahaha Bella kissed Edward on the cheek. Awwww :)**

**Yes, they're going on a date! And yes, Bella knows that it's a date-date, not a two-friends-hanging-out thing. Isn't that amazing? :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm honestly so uncomfortable right now. My laptop has chosen this week to go all dysfunctional on me, and probably won't be fixed until next week. **

**I couldn't leave you guys hanging for that long though, so I'm using my brother's (no joke) 9-year-old laptop. I mean… it's just torture.**

**Nah, it's actually not so bad…. Not really. **

**Thank you to all you wonderful people who boosted this story to 110 reviews :O wow you guys are awesomeeee: **_**Far-Longer-Than-Forever, xx It was Her xx, theresa24, tmynm, se7en29, dr . meow1234, I'm A Sucker For Love Stories, maddybug15, cardgirl91, h (Guest), Atzy, Twilight RoeiSim23, yellowporscheowner96, Jaymili, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, tncb, matsu23, **_**and 1**_** Guest**_**. **

**On with the story… :)**

* * *

Chapter 7

Bella

Minutes ticked by as I told Alice and Rose about everything. How I'd met this amazingly gorgeous, sweet guy by accident, and how I'd never in a million years have thought that he'd ask me out. By the time I had finished telling them about everything, my face felt like it could split in two because of the wide smile I was wearing.

"Well took him long enough. As a matter of fact, it took you _both_ long enough," Alice sighed, looking exasperated. Almost immediately after, her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she clasped her hand around her mouth, as if that would undo what she had just said.

Okay, what? I didn't understand her cryptic statement at all.

And by her deer-in-headlights reaction, I knew that she had to be talking about something important. "What are you talking about?" I asked, as Rosalie and I looked inquiringly at Alice.

Then my best friend sighed deeply, looking like she'd committed a felony, "Okay, look. I was planning on telling you eventually, if you hadn't figured it out by the time Jasper's party came rolling around."

She took a deep breath, apology and nervousness etched across her face as she looked towards me, "Meeting Edward wasn't a _complete _accident like you think, actually. Yes, you _did_ bump into him, and that _did _inevitably get him to ask you for your number... But the whole reason that he was even on the bus that day…was because of me."

I couldn't hold in my disbelief, "Alice, what? I'm so confused."

She cut me off before I could say any more, "Just let me finish, okay? Then you can say whatever you have to say.

"Look, I've been trying to get you guys to meet for the past three months. But every, single time, you both refused like the other was a disease. The thing is, I knew from the moment that I met you, that you and him would be the perfect match. But neither of you seemed to want to see that. I knew that you wouldn't want to go out with him if I set it up, because you both are so annoyingly shy."

She breathed before continuing, "The only sure-fire way that I'd get you guys to meet was if it was completely unplanned. Or if you _thought _that it was completely unplanned. I knew that if you guys met _not _knowing who the other was, that you'd see - all on your own - that you both _do_ share a connection. That it's not just me playing matchmaker. So I borrowed his car that morning, and I made him take the bus after school."

No, no. _No._ _She wasn't talking about…_

The Edward that I'd bumped into…he wasn't….he couldn't be. But it made so much sense:

He was Edward Cullen, brother of Alice Cullen.

This could not be happening.

Then again, I guess I'd already secretly known that he was, deep in the pit of my stomach, but I'd pushed it away, hoping that he wasn't my best friend's brother. Because it would just be weird, right?

I was so confused about how I felt about this entire situation – about Alice's whole, long speech. There was only one I was certain about: the fact that Edward was Alice's brother didn't change how I felt about him. Not one bit.

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react to this information overload that Alice had given me, though. _Should I be grateful? Annoyed that she'd meddled into my life?_

I couldn't bring myself to be angry at the little pixie, because in her own, odd little way, she'd done this to make us both happy. And if it wasn't for her little 'plan', I would've never bumped into Edward, and acted the way I did around him. If I'd known from the beginning that he was Alice's brother, I definitely wouldn't have flirted with him so much.

We wouldn't be going on a _date_ tomorrow if I'd known who he was.

It was just the fact that I figured it'd be weird to date Alice's younger brother.

Yet, thinking about it now, I didn't think I felt that way anymore… not after talking and hanging out with him – getting to _know_ him. His lineage didn't make me like him any less.

But I knew that if I'd known from the beginning who Edward really was, I wouldn't have allowed myself to develop feelings. Just for the reason that I imagined it'd be awkward to date my best friend's brother.

But it wasn't. And without Alice's 'plan', I wouldn't have been able to see that.

So, after a few minutes of silent deliberating, I said, "Thank you," to Alice. Because I was thankful to her. Even though I didn't appreciate her sneaky way of setting Edward and I up, I wouldn't be as happy as I was right now if it weren't for her. She knew what she had been doing. She knew us both so well.

Alice basically jumped over the table, ensnaring me in the tightest hug ever. I only giggled lightly, patting her back. Rosalie was just looking on at everything playing out in front of her with pure amusement.

Then something hit me: Emmett.

"Wait… does Edward _know_ that I'm your friend? That I'm Emmett's sister?" I raised my eyebrows at Alice when she released me and sat back down in her chair. It was then that the deer-in-headlights expression returned to her face.

"Alice!" I berated, sighing loudly and putting my hand on my forehead. Was she serious? She hadn't told Edward that I was her best friend. My gosh.

"What?" she said, holding up her hands in defense. "Like I said, I knew that neither of you would make a move if you both knew who the other really was. So… I kinda…lied… when he asked if I knew you."

Oh God, no. She had to be joking. "Al, there's no way he'll go out with me if he knows that I'm his best friend's sister. I mean, isn't that like a guy code or something?" I voiced my frustration.

Rosalie stepped in before I started hyperventilating, "Bella, you're honestly worrying for no good reason. From what you've been telling us, you and Edward both _really _like each other. I'm sure he would still go out with you even if he finds out that you're Emmett's sister."

I was unconvinced, and she knew it. So she continued, "Here, how about this: why don't you tell Edward the truth about everything and see how he feels. But honestly, I don't think that he's gonna run away from you after finding out about this."

I sighed, pondering her idea over in my head. I had to admit that it sounded like a good idea. Yes. "Okay, that actually sounds good. I'll tell him, then I'll ask him if he still wants to go out with me." I couldn't help the overwhelming nervousness that flooded through me. There were only two possibilities that could come from me asking. He'd either say 'yes' he still wanted to take me out, or 'no' he didn't think it was a good idea anymore.

I hoped upon hope that he would say 'yes', but I wasn't so sure. His feelings may not have been as deep as mine.

* * *

It had been an hour since I'd gotten home from the mall, but I still hadn't gotten the nerve to dial Edward's number and tell him everything.

I knew I couldn't explain this whole mess over text, even though it would've been much easier for me to do so. My only option was to call him, and – dear God – hear his _voice_ from the other end.

I took a deep breath, picking up my phone from my bed, and going through my contact list. _I'm going to do this. I've procrastinated enough. I have to do it._ I only had to scroll twice until I found his name and number.

Now the hard part: clicking the 'Call' button. I shut my eyes, saying several words of encouragement to myself before – cue gulp – tapping the 'Call' button.

I put the phone to my ear, hearing the 'ring, ring' through the speaker. He picked up on the third 'ring'.

"Hey." I could hear the surprise in his voice – his deep yet smooth voice. I mentally sighed dreamily.

"Hi," I breathed, my anxiety increasing tenfold.

"What's up? Are you ok?" I could hear the concern in his voice, and I just about wanted to die right then and there. He could hear the nervousness in my voice, and he was _worried_. He _cared_. I mean, could he get _any_ more perfect?

"Yeah… I'm fine. Sorry, I'm just a little –ugh, never mind. Um… I actually have to tell you something," I said, waiting to hear his response. In my head, I'd pictured myself speaking fluently and confidently at this moment. In reality, however, that clearly wasn't the case.

"Okay… sure. Go ahead, I'm all ears," he responded calmly.

I was about to start my confession, when he interrupted me.

"Wait, but before you say anything. Could you do me favor?" Edward asked at the end.

My eyebrows rose, and I answered his question cautiously, "Alright..." What could I possibly do to help him?

"Could you take some deep breaths, please? I can tell that you're a little freaked out about whatever you're gonna tell me. So just, breathe in and out. It'll help, trust me," Edward's tone was gentle, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face at what he'd asked of me.

I laughed, feeling a little more at ease, and did exactly what he'd told me. "Better?" Edward asked, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

I grinned, "Yeah, a little. Thank you."

Then I took one last deep breath before I started, "Edward, I think you should know something before you go out with me. It's not anything bad, I don't think. But it's something that you should know. Then you can decide whether you still wanna go out with me, or not."

And then I told him. Everything. That the friends he'd dropped me off to meet at the food court were Alice Cullen - A.K.A. his sister - and Rosalie Hale. That Rosalie Hale was dating my brother, Emmett Swan. That I knew they were really good friends, so I understood if he didn't want to take me out anymore, because it might be weird for him.

By the end of my long speech, my heart was hammering in my chest, anticipating his reaction.

"_That's_ what you were so worried to tell me?" Edward laughed lightly, giving me the slightest amount of hope.

"Bella, I still wanna go out with you. If you still wanna go out with me?" his tone turned wary at the end.

I laughed, "Of course I do. I'm just a little surprised that you're not the least bit weirded out by everything." I didn't see the point of hiding my feelings from Edward.

"To tell you the truth: I had a feeling that you were Emmett's sister, the day I met you. But I still wanted to get to know you. I mean, Emmett might kill me for taking his sister out… but I think I'm okay with that," my heart fluttered at his words, and I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning.

I was a bit speechless, but I didn't want to leave him hanging like that.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me," I said softly, a light blush forming on my cheeks. I didn't know how he'd react to my statement, and at first, I got worried because he was taking a while to respond.

Then he said, "But it's true, Bella… I don't know you as much as I want to. At least, not yet. But I really like everything that I do know so far." I exhaled breathily, my cheeks turning red now, and my heart speeding up. I could hear the sincerity in his voice. If this had been coming from anyone else, I would've laughed and brushed them off. But Edward actually meant what he was saying, and that just made my knees weak.

I couldn't respond to his statement, so instead, I bid him goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Edward," I said.

"Sweet dreams, Bella," he said softly, before ending the call.

I shut my eyes, falling backward onto my bed. I clutched my phone to my chest, overcome with an intense warmth filling me. Edward was the reason I was feeling this way. He was the reason I was finally happy. I had believed that, before this, I was content with my life. I had great friends, a wonderful family. But now, with him, I felt like I was finally… complete.

* * *

**A/N: I just can't even bear their cuteness anymore. Hahaha :D thoughts?**

**Next chapter will be their daaaaattteee :) I'd originally planned to put their date into this chapter, but it didn't feel right.**

**Please leave me a review giving me your feelings on this chapter. Loved it? Hated it?**

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews I've gotten so far. I can't even thank you guys enough! This story's almost up to 100 reviews… WOW :O I don't think I deserve all this love :/ but thanks anyway!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks SO much for all the alerts/ favourites :)**

**Hope you all had an AWESOMETASTIC (let's pretend that's a word) Christmas, and I also hope that the New Year will be amazing for you :) reaaaaallly hoping that 2013 will be better than 2012 *sigh***

**Thank you to all of you wonderful people who reviewed part 1 to Edward and Bella's date:**_** bika119 (Guest), Ella1989, h (Guest), se7en29, dr . meow1234, gemma loves edward, Sweetie7smiled, Rawr Olivia Grace, theresa24, xx It was Her xx, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, cardgirl91, Atzy, Twilight RoeiSim23, yellowporscheowner96, Jaymili, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, **_**and 1**_** Guest**_**. **

**Hmmm…. Wonder if y'all will like this one :P**

* * *

Chapter 8

Bella

I felt the sunlight streaming through my windows, inevitably waking me up from my slumber. Immediately, I knew that it was going to be a good day today.

For the past few days, Chicago's weather had consisted of mainly rain, fog, or cloud cover. This was the first time that I was actually seeing the bright, flaring sun in a while.

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and yawning, I reached for my phone after hearing it buzz, noting that it was already 11:07 a.m.

Okay so I had enough time to get ready… for my date. I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks glow. I couldn't even contain my excitement anymore, letting out a very girly, unlike-me squeal.

After calling Edward last night, he'd texted me an address, asking if that was where I lived. Apparently Emmett had invited him over before, and even though he hadn't been able to make it, he'd still saved the address. I had replied with a "**Yup, stalker :P**", making him feign being offended, before saying that he'd be over at one.

He was so adorable, honestly.

I went through my messages from today, coming to an unread one from Emmett, which he'd just sent:

**_I'll be at Jasper's for the day. Probably won't be back until tomorrow. Mom and dad are going to a dinner party thing, so they'll be back really late._**

**_So, basically, don't feel the need to wait up for us :p_**

**_Laterz sis :)_**

So I was going to be alone for the day. _Cool_, I smiled. I had to admit that this made going on a date with Edward a whole lot easier. It would've been beyond embarrassing if my parents had met him. I didn't even know how Emmett would've reacted, since I haven't even told him that I know Edward.

After sending my brother a quick reply, I decided to raid my closet for a bit, looking for an acceptable outfit to wear on my date. Edward had told me that we were just going to go for some lunch and then we could go for a walk in the park for a bit.

It was pretty chilly in Chicago around this time of year but it wasn't unbearably cold. It took me about fifteen minutes until I found the perfect outfit for the date and weather: a light pink, A-line dress with a lace bateau neckline, reaching just above my knees. I planned to wear a pair of black tights under that, of course.

For shoes: I picked out a pair of Steven Madden ankle boots, which thankfully, had barely any height to them – therefore, no heels which I could trip in. Lastly, my accessories consisted of a pair of flower-studded earrings, along with a cropped leather jacket and a gold purse.

I decided that I'd get ready in half an hour, so I quickly went onto Twitter to burn some time, checking my timeline and posting a few tweets just to let some of my friends know that I was still alive – I hadn't been on in a while. Then, I checked my e-mail, sending a reminder to Adrienne (my chemistry lab partner) that we had to discuss the lab results for the write-up due Tuesday.

When I was just about finished, I glanced at my phone, completely taken aback when I saw a notification that I had seven unread messages. I sighed, realizing who they were from: Alice, of course.

They were all asking about how I was feeling about my date, and what I was wearing to go out. I sent her a picture of my outfit, with the caption "I'm soooo excited, Al. I'll tell you all about it when I come back :DDD"

I waited to hear her response on my choice of outfit, and smiled when she replied with a "ca-uteee! Love it!" So I guess it was Alice-approved, then.

I then proceeded to head to the bathroom and take a long warm shower, washing my hair with my favourite strawberry shampoo and conditioner.

I decided to just blow-dry my hair before tying it up in a casual yet elegant bun – it was pinned neatly, but not in an over-the-top-Hollywood-red-carpet way.

Then I applied some light makeup: a touch of foundation, black eyeliner and mascara and some pink outlast lip stain - I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard…. even though, in reality, I kind of was.

Hey, this was Edward Cullen we were talking about.

I got ready in record time with ten minutes to spare. And you could guess what I did in those ten minutes: _I freaked out_.

I mean, what if the date went really terribly? What if we ran out of things to say and just sat there awkwardly, eating our food? What if he realized after this date that he didn't want to see me again after getting to _really_ know me? What if-

I was cut off from my train of thought by the sound of my doorbell chiming 'ding, dong' throughout the house. He was here. _Deep breaths, Bella, deep breaths. It's going to be okay._

I picked up my black jacket and purse, stuffing my phone into it, heading to the door. Taking one last look in the mirror at myself, I felt relatively pleased with the outcome.

Finally, I took one last breath before I opened the door. Apparently, I should've taken some more deep breaths, because after seeing this Godly figure before my eyes, I almost began hyperventilating right there.

Edward looked gorgeous – no surprise there, I guess. I couldn't help but swoon over how _good_ he looked in casual clothes – I'd only ever seen him in his uniform.

His hands were stuffed in the pockets to his blue jeans, while a pair of white Lacoste shoes were worn on his feet. On his upper body, he was wearing a white Ralph Lauren T-shirt under a grey tweed jacket. I could still faintly see his muscles moving under the jacket, and couldn't help but mentally sigh over how fit he was.

After I was done… um, checking him out… I looked towards Edward, whose green eyes were currently roaming over my body. I felt my cheeks heat up as I hid a smirk.

Hmm, I guess I hadn't been the only one impressed with my date.

As much as I was flattered by Edward's actions, I didn't want him to know it, so I coughed subtly, making him look up towards my face. A sheepish smile spread across his face, as he said, "Sorry. You just look…wow," he breathed, running his hands through his messy bronze hair, making it even messier.

If possible, my already red cheeks heated up even more after his compliment.

I replied with a, "Thank you, you look pretty good yourself."

Edward chuckled, "Thanks, I try." Then he ended the statement with a wink, causing my heart to beat irregularly. Did he want me to die right then and there? Dear Lord.

I laughed lightly - certain it had come out as more of a squeaky sound than anything - before closing my front door and locking it behind me. He led me to a silver Volvo which was parked up in my driveway, and opened the passenger door for me. Of course, I almost did a double take at his action, because never before in my seventeen years of life, had _anyone_ ever opened the door for me.

"Thank you," I smiled at him genuinely, getting in. He smiled back, brushing it off like it was nothing, before shutting my door for me and going over to the driver's side.

He revved up the engine, pulling out of the driveway, and onto my street. I took that time to subtly admire his side profile. Thankfully, I turned back to look at the road just before he looked towards me briefly, "So how are you?"

I smiled at his polite question, "I'm great. How are you?"

He smiled, "Pretty good myself. Enjoying the weather, you know."

I laughed, "I was just thinking that this morning. I mean, finally the sun's come out of hiding." My joke caused Edward to laugh, "Exactly," which then made me smile.

His laugh was like a melody – definitely the best sound I'd ever heard.

He turned on the music in his car after a few minutes, and I immediately recognized the soothing sound floating out of the speakers, "Claire de Lune." It came out as more of a statement than a question.

We'd reached a red light on the highway, and Edward turned to face me, looking completely stunned, "You know Debussy?" I tried not to smile too much at his expression: his eyebrows were raised, green eyes widened, and mouth slightly agape. He still looked incredibly hot, though. I was beginning to realize that Edward looked hot doing anything.

I ducked my head in embarrassment at his question, "Yeah. I'm kind of into the classics."

Edward exhaled, "That's so crazy. I've never met anyone who likes listening to classical music."

I looked up as Edward started driving again, "I know. No one's really into this kind of music, which is pretty sad. They're missing out on something amazing." I was starting to learn that around Edward, I had no censor; I just spoke my mind.

I hadn't decided as yet whether that was a good or bad thing.

He smiled, looking like he wanted to say something, but after a few minutes, he just dropped it.

* * *

After a while, I noticed that we had passed the urban areas of Chicago and were speeding – yes, speeding. Edward was an _extremely_ fast driver - to one of the more secluded areas of the city. Trees littered empty fields of grass, and a few houses could be seen occasionally. Just when I was about to ask him where we were going, I recognized the sign of a modern-looking building, "Vin et Des Roses". My jaw dropped.

This was literally the most exclusive restaurant in the city. Exclusive as in: you had to at least be the governor to get in. It'd opened up only a few weeks ago, but I hadn't even known the location of the restaurant….it was _that_ exclusive.

Before I could stammer and stutter about his choice of restaurant, Edward came around to my side and was offering me his hand to help me get out. I almost didn't want to take it for fear that I wouldn't want to let go. Almost.

I took a deep breath, calming myself down, before lightly grasping his outstretched hand. Once I was safely outside of the car, I made to gently remove my hand from his.

Apparently, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, as I felt Edward squeeze my hand once, grinning down at me before pulling me lightly towards the entrance.

He was oblivious of the fact that I was slowly feeling my knees weaken from our contact. I couldn't help but think that this was one of those moments that I just wanted to freeze in time. His hand was smooth, and unless I was slowly going crazy, it felt like my hand fit perfectly in his.

The manager greeting customers at the entrance appraised us both, before raising his eyebrows. Edward spoke up, "Reservation for Cullen." The prim-and-proper server looked down into his organized book, flipping to a page and moving his finger down a list, before giving it a tap, "Ah, here it is. Cullen. Follow me."

He carried along two menus with him, before pointing us to a table in the corner of the dimly-lit room. There were only a few couples and singles here, and they were all far from our table, which I was glad for. I didn't particular like when people eavesdropped on my conversations.

Edward, the perfect gentleman, pulled out my chair for me before sitting down himself. Unfortunately, in order to do so, he had to let go of my hand.

Almost immediately, I felt empty from the loss of contact. Nevertheless, I smiled to him as he sat down, not wanting to make it obvious that I was sad he'd let go of my hand. I mean, that'd be pretty pathetic right?

As we settled down in our seats, I took the time to let my eyes wander around the restaurant. It literally looked like something out of a French magazine. Elegant paintings hung on the burgundy walls - some of countryside scenery, others of French icons and minstrels.

I was broken out of my reverie when a server looking to be just out of high school, came up to our table, asking if we'd like anything to drink.

We both ordered Cokes, before looking down at our menus at the food selection.

After scanning for a little bit, I decided on a seafood pasta dish, and shut my menu. It had been a hard choice, since all of the dishes seemed absolutely mouthwatering. As I looked up, I realized that Edward had already decided and was glancing at me every so often.

Just as I was about to start up a conversation, I felt my phone repeatedly buzzing in my purse. I sighed, looking at the Caller ID.

"Do you mind if I take it? It's Alice," I explained, and he nodded in understanding, "Sure. She'll just keep calling if you don't pick up this time."

I rolled my eyes, "Story of my life."

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, waiting to hear Alice's brilliant reason for interrupting my date.

"Don't hate me! I'm just really excited to hear how you're date's going. Is he being nice? Ugh he's so annoying, but I guess he's sweet at times. But oh my gosh, HOW IS IT? What are you guys doing?" I silenced Alice's rambling with a laugh.

I didn't want to excuse myself from the table just to go tell Alice how amazing Edward was being so far, so instead, I used our secret code. Often, on first dates, Alice and I would call each other and use secret words to communicate how we found our dates.

"Yeah, Alice. The BCBG dress _was_ really awesome, kind of perfect, actually. You should definitely get it for the party. Um, but I can't talk about that right now. I'm pretty busy. Call you later?" I said, obviously meaning that this date and Edward were both really awesome, and kind of perfect.

"Oh my gosh! Aw, sweetie, you really like him?" Alice squealed.

"Yeah, I really do... A lot," I held back a sigh as I looked at Edward. He was being polite and making it seem like he wasn't paying attention to my phone call.

"Okay, fine. I'll leave you to it. Say hi to my little bro for me," Alice sang before hanging up. It was still so weird to think that Alice, the pixie, was actually a year older than Edward and me. How crazy was that?

I laughed, looking up at Edward, "Your sister's _really_ energetic. How are you two related again?"

Edward shook his head, with a solemn expression on his face, "I honestly have no idea sometimes. I'm even tempted to do a DNA test one of these days."

I laughed, "Yeah, I hear ya. When I was younger, I used to think that Emmett got switched at birth."

Edward laughed for a good bit, along with me, before sobering up rapidly, "Oh, hey. That reminds me. Have you told him about..?"

I groaned, shaking my head guiltily, "I don't know how to bring it up. 'Hey Em, so listen. I wanna go out with your best friend. Is that okay with you?' Somehow, I don't think he'd take it well."

Edward sighed, looking apologetic, "I know, I'm sorry for asking."

I shook my head vigorously, "No, it's okay. I'm glad you asked, because I _should_ really figure out a way to tell him."

Edward smiled, raising his eyebrows, "Wanna steer away from that topic for now?" It was weird how Edward seemed to know exactly what to say to make things so much less awkward.

I smiled, "Yes, please. What do you want to talk about?" Just as I spoke, the waiter came back with our drinks placing them down in front of us.

He turned to me first, "Have you decided on a meal?" The nerdy-looking waiter, looked me up and down. I seriously didn't appreciate that, or the flirtatious smile he was sending my way. I mean couldn't he see that I was on a date?

"Um, I'll have the 'pâtes et plateau de fruits'. Thanks," I politely smiled, before handing him my menu.

"Sure thing," he grinned, making me cringe in discomfort.

Edward ordered his dish next, and if I hadn't looked up in time, I would've missed the death glare he sent the waiter towards the end. It even gave me chills, and it wasn't even directed towards me. Edward's attractiveness increased tenfold after that move, if that was even possible.

The waiter scurried away not too long after, leaving us to enjoy our date.

"So, Bella… tell me about yourself," I almost choked on my Coke at his professional tone.

"What do you wish to know?" I faked a British accent making him chuckle, before he smiled shortly.

Then he turned serious, his green eyes smoldering mine, "Everything."

I bit my lip, trying to keep my head clear. He was dazzling me, yet somehow, I managed to get out two full sentences, "That's gonna take while. How about we play twenty questions?"

His beautiful crooked grin appeared on his face, making my heart skip a beat. Then he nodded, "Sounds good. Ladies first."

I had to think about my first question for a few seconds, before I spoke up, "Full name?"

Edward grimaced, "Do I really have to answer that one?" I giggled at his expression, nodding, "Yup, rules are rules." I knew he was overreacting. It couldn't be that bad. I mean… he was Edward. Everything about him was perfection.

Then he sighed, "Edward Anthony Cullen." I smiled, having to hold back an 'aww'. I didn't get why he hated his full name. I happened to love it.

"Mine's worse, trust me. Isabella Marie Swan," pointing to myself, I made a face, making Edward cock an eyebrow before laughing.

"How is that worse? That's a great name, that suits you perfectly, unlike mine," Edward shook his head.

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? Marie happens to be the most common middle name out there. Anthony's way more original, and so _cute_."

I smiled at the end, making Edward laugh, "Cute? Seriously, Bella?" Then we both collapsed into a fit of laughter. Okay, so I guess 'cute' wasn't the best word to use in order to boost a guy's confidence, but at least we got a good laugh out of it.

The game continued on for about five more questions, until our food arrived. Wow, great service.

We both dug in, still managing to continue our game in between spoons of food. As expected, the food was absolutely delicious, and I almost had to refrain myself from scarfing it down unattractively.

"Favourite colour?" he asked suddenly, and honestly, without thinking about it, I blurted, "Green." Then of course, to make the reason I loved that colour even more obvious, I looked up into his eyes, blushing slightly.

Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice my embarrassment, nodding, before answering, "Brown." Then, he smiled at me, before a light pink colour tinged his cheeks. No way… was he blushing? Insert shocked face.

We both finished our meals shortly after, and the server brought the bill to our table. Before leaving, he handed me a slip of paper. I stared blankly at the sheet, before giggling.

Edward looked at me, "What?" He had a slight smile on his face, entertained at my random laughing fit.

I passed him the sheet of paper with the waiter, David's, name and number on it. I couldn't believe he hadn't gotten the hint after Edward had murdered him with his (mesmerizing) eyes.

Edward wasn't amused by the note, and I could basically feel the jealousy radiating off of him as his lips formed into a hard line. I had to bite my lip to keep in my laugh. As much as I found jealous Edward downright sexy, I didn't want him thinking that I actually wanted to call the loser waiter.

So just to reassure him that he was the only person who's number I ever wanted, I took the piece of paper from Edward, ripping it up and leaving it scattered on the table - right in front of him.

Edward looked like he was hiding a smile at my actions, and then he did something that made me want to kiss him right there. He reached for my hand under the table, giving it a light squeeze. I smiled, feeling my heart beating literally as fast as a hummingbird's.

Two weeks ago, if someone had told me that I'd be on a date right now with a guy as amazing as Edward, I would've laughed in their face. I mean, it just didn't make sense that such a handsome, sweet guy would ever like someone as boring as me. But I guess I'm not always right, and that can be a good thing once in a while.

* * *

**A/N: No, that it absolutely not the end of their completely perfect date… part two will be coming your way soon :P**

**But how was part 1 of Bella and Edward's date? It doesn't have as much cuteness as part 2 will… but it's a start. Thoughts? Jealous Edward made me smile :)**

**Love you guys! Thanks for being amazing :)**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	9. Chapter 9

**I AM SO HAPPY I COULD CRY RIGHT NOW. OH MY GOSH. I finally got the new charger for my laptop today and ahhh… I forgot how comfortable and easy it is to use and type with. **

**So… to celebrate, I have decided to finally write up Chapter 9 for you guys. I finally have no excuses to procrastinate. **

**Also, another reason for my extreme happiness is because of the incredibly sweet reviews I received! Thank you so much… it was so amazing to hear how much you guys loved part 1 of Edward and Bella's date :') **

**These lovely people made me smile so much with their reviews, so thank you: **_**vampdreams, Ella1989, peg . snell, janelle . singleton2, mollymooblue (Guest), h (Guest), GaleLuver27, VongolaShiro, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, theresa24, Atzy, Rawr Olivia Grace, Pongu, romanceaholic, yellowporscheowner96, penguin2012, TwilightLoverGirl1, Tanii92, Jaymili, Twilight RoeiSim23, xx It was Her xx, bika119 (Guest), The Ultimate Cheesepuff, dr . meow1234, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, **_**and 1**_** Guest. **_

* * *

Chapter 9

Bella

Supper had been amazing, and Edward had ended up paying for our entire meal, even after much protesting on my part.

I hadn't wanted him to pay for my food; but he'd won the case by telling me that he was the one who'd asked me out, and therefore I really had no say in the matter.

Cue sigh.

Currently, however, we were strolling around one of the more private parks in Chicago. Edward had driven us there after I'd told him that I was allowed to stay out until at least eight tonight – what with my parents and Emmett out doing their own things.

We didn't particularly need to fill the silence between us while walking. Frankly, it wasn't awkward at all. Unlike the other dates I'd been on, this was comfortable… relaxing, even. Nothing about hanging out with Edward was forced, which was definitely a huge thumbs up.

My eyes had been wandering around the park - occasionally people-watching, but mainly glancing at Edward – when they settled on a pair of swings by the playground.

At first, I kept my mouth clamped shut, afraid that Edward would laugh in my face for suggesting we go to the playground. But then I thought more and more about how long I hadn't been on one of those swings, and before I knew it, I was blurting out a question.

"Do you wanna head over there?" I signalled with my right hand to the swing set - which was sandwiched between the monkey bars and the seesaw.

Like I'd originally expected, Edward's eyes flickered from myself to the playground, completely amused. But then he noticed the seriousness on my face, and the humour in his eyes disappeared, leaving him with a gentle, curious expression.

"Sure," he was puzzled, I could tell. But I guess he didn't want to hurt my feelings by outright saying 'no'.

I didn't even fully understand why I wanted to bring him there, or even _go_ there, but I did.

So, we both walked the short distance to the playground, another silence settling between us. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a few kids with their parents, gallivanting around the grounds, looking to be having a blast. I found myself reminiscing days like those, where the world was my playground. I had no worries, no fears.

But then again, I didn't entirely miss childhood. After all, if I hadn't grown up, I wouldn't have been able to go out on a date with such an amazing guy today.

I smiled, sitting on one of the swings and gently rocking back and forth on my heels. I felt like this was a norm for Edward and me. I was becoming so comfortable around him that I was finding myself acting and saying things that I would normally only say or do with my close friends.

Edward mimicked my actions, sitting on the swing to his left, rocking back and forth. It looked like something was on his mind.

"What's up?" I asked, looking up at him. My question seemed to bring him out of his thoughts, as his entire facial expression changed. He had been sporting a deep, pondering one in which his dark eyebrows had been creased, and his lips were turned into a frown.

Now, his eyebrows were raised, and his ever-sparkling green eyes were staring straight into my brown ones. They were questioning, like he was searching for the answer to some big mystery.

"Can I be honest?" he asked, still staring into my eyes.

His expression was intense, and I found myself becoming more and more speechless by the second.

I could only manage a nod as an answer to his question.

"You're unlike any other girl I've ever met, Bella," he stated, still looking at me with that breathtakingly gorgeous expression which made my knees go weak.

My eyebrows creased as I voiced my thoughts, "Is that a bad thing?"

I knew that I shouldn't have been so affected by his opinion of me… but I was. I literally couldn't stand the thought of him thinking I was odd.

Edward's eyes softened as a lopsided grin broke out across his face, "Absolutely not… I'm sorry if it sounded that way."

He chuckled before explaining himself, "It's just that, I don't know anyone else who would do this – come play on the swings – even if they were dying to. You're not afraid to be yourself. You keep surprising me with everything you do… and that's definitely not a bad thing."

I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked down at my lap, a flattered smile forming on my face, "Thank you... And trust me, I _am_ afraid. To be myself, I mean. Normally, I would never force someone to come to the playground with me - let alone on our first date. But…"

"You're unlike any other guy I've ever met, Edward," I smiled, finishing my sentence by directly copying what he'd said earlier, and looking up at him.

I heard him exhale as a smile plastered across his face. I guess he was happy about my confession, which in turn made me pretty happy.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, occasionally looking up at each other, or looking down at our feet while we swung in time.

I watched as the sun started to set on the horizon, painting the sky a lovely shade of red, orange, and pink. It was beautiful, really.

Edward broke me out of my thoughts, politely breaching a subject, "I know I said I'd drift away from the topic of Emmett, but I've just been wondering: why is it that he doesn't like to let you go out with anyone?"

It took a while for his question to sink in, as my mind had been in other places - for instance, I'd been wondering how much I'd have to lean in before mine and Edward's faces touched. Sue me, okay? He made me think things that I normally wouldn't.

I coughed, pondering for a minute, before answering, "No, it's okay, really…Um… I guess he's always just been really protective of me. I've never been in a relationship before, and I guess he's scared to see me in one because he doesn't want me to get hurt. It's so common these days for relationships to just go up in flames - he just assumes that every guy out there is bad news, and… he doesn't really believe that any guy would ever be 'good enough' for me…."

Before I could finish that sentence by saying that even though Emmett did, I honestly didn't believe the "no guy would be good enough for me" part - seeing as I wasn't really anything special - Edward interrupted.

"I can get that," he nodded, seeming like he understood the whole subject perfectly. Me, on the other hand, not so much.

"Huh? 'You can get that'?" I asked, confusion etched on every feature of my face. Shouldn't he be angry or weirded out that Emmett would think those things? I mean, really. It didn't make sense to me that _someone _wouldn't be good enough for _me_, when in fact, it should be the other way around. I mean, _I_ definitely wasn't good enough for Edward….

"You don't see yourself clearly, do you?" Edward looked solemn, as he looked down at me. His green eyes found mine once again, and after a few seconds of searching, it seemed like he had found an answer.

"If I were Emmett, I'd do the same: protect you. I wouldn't want you to get hurt because you're so…. you. I can't even explain it, Bella. You _are_ too good for a lot of people, and the fact that you don't even see that makes you even _more _out of my league," Edward said, immediately making my heart swell, and my jaw drop.

"What? How could you even think for a second that _I'm_ out of _your_ league?" I looked up at Edward in utter disbelief. He didn't give me enough time to explain how wrong he was for saying that.

Before I knew it, he was blurting out, "Well, you're kind-hearted, generous, funny without even knowing it. Lastly, you're modest even though you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…"

My breath hitched, and I stopped swinging, finding myself looking up into his green orbs which held nothing but pure honesty. I felt myself getting lost in them, amazed that this gorgeous person thought so highly of me. I just didn't get it.

I resisted the urge to sigh as my eyes roamed over Edward's face. It was chiselled into the most knee-wobbling expression. He was serious – but not in an intimidating way. His jaw was set like he was trying hard not to do something, and he wasn't breaking eye-contact.

My mind was clouded and frantic. I didn't know what I should do now. I felt myself leaning in along with Edward, who was still staring at me with such an intensity that I was finding it hard to think.

But before either of us could do anything more, our moment soon broke.

"Edward?" a voice sounded from in front of us, making us both look away from each other and up at that voice. It was a girl who looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven. She was pretty, tall and slim, with dark blond hair and light blue eyes.

"Anna," Edward took a while to respond, sounding surprised, before he got up to give the girl a hug. Not wanting to be rude, I got up as well to greet whoever this person was.

"How are you? Where's Jackson?" Edward asked, looking around the playground. I pretended that I wasn't the most confused person in the world as I watched all of this unfold before my eyes.

Then Edward stopped, looking towards me sheepishly as I smiled awkwardly at this Anna girl, "Pardon my impoliteness. Bella, this is Anna, my cousin from Alaska." I finally came out my moment of confusion. Oh. _Cousin._ For some reason, that news made me breathe a mental sigh of relief. I smiled friendly at Anna, who smiled back.

Before I knew it, my right hand was being stretched out for her to shake, and she took it, shaking it lightly before looking from me to Edward repeatedly. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Ed."

My cheeks immediately flamed up as I looked down to the ground.

"Oh we're not – we're just –" we both spluttered, as Anna smiled slyly.

"Sure, okay," she said unconvincingly before continuing, "and to answer your question, Jackson's just running around somewhere with a few friends. Oh, look, here he comes."

I turned around just in time to see literally the most adorable little boy bumbling towards us. He could only be four or five with blond hair and hazel eyes. He wore a toothy grin as he laughed, running in a Christmas sweater and a pair of jeans towards Anna. It was easy to tell that this was her son.

He hugged Anna behind her knees, peeking out at Edward before his eyes widened with recognition.

"Uncle Ed!" he screamed before racing towards Edward, who bent down, scooping up Jackson in his arms like it was second nature. I wanted to just die from awe, seeing Edward handle Jackson like he was his big brother.

"'Sup Jax?" he asked the little boy, who looked beyond excited, visibly bouncing in his grasp.

"Nothin," he grinned, about to say something else when he looked to the side. It was then that Jackson noted my presence. His mouth opened, then closed as he looked at me with his big amber eyes. I waved, smiling at how cute he was, "Hi."

He gasped, burying his face in Edward's chest while we all laughed. Edward was smiling knowingly at the little boy, before he looked at me smiling. "What?" I mouthed to him, making him reply with a shake of the head, mouthing back "Nothing."

He set Jackson down after a few minutes, stooping down so that he was still at eye-level with the boy. I sighed, _aw._

"Uncle Ed, she's really pretty," Jackson tried whispering in Edward's ear, peering up at me, open-mouthed. I blushed, smiling down at the little boy.

Edward looked at me from the ground, smiling crookedly, before saying back, "I know."

"You like her?" the little boy asked in his cute, high-pitched voice.

Edward nodded, again looking up at me. If I could turn any redder, I just did.

"You gonna get married, like mommy and daddy?" he looked so innocently at both of us, not realizing that there was anything wrong with what he said. Oh gosh, this kid was too adorable.

Both Edward and I turned red in the face at his question, however, so Anna jumped in, dissipating the awkwardness, "C'mon Jax, let's let Uncle Ed and Bella enjoy the rest of their date." Then she mouthed, "Sorry," to both of us.

"I'll catch up with you and Alice later on this week. Brian and me are gonna be staying in Chicago for a week or two. He has some business to take car of," Anna explained to Edward before turning to me.

"It was lovely meeting you, Bella," Anna finished, taking Jackson's hand in hers, telling him to say goodbye to us.

"Bye, Uncle Ed," Jackson grinned, waving his hand and craning his neck upward to look at Edward who was standing – more like towering - above him. Edward chuckled, looking so at ease, as he picked up Jackson in his arms.

That was when Jackson decided to hug Edward around his neck, making Edward smile gently as he patted his back. Could I take a picture, or would that be weird?

To make the moment even more precious, when Jackson released Edward from the hug, Edward ruffled Jackson's light blond hair, making him freely laugh.

"Later, Jax," he said, before placing the little boy back down.

Finally, Jackson turned to me, speaking softly and blushing lightly, "Bye, Bella."

I smiled gently, "Bye, Jackson. I hope I'll see you again." My statement made him nod vigorously, "Yes, uh huh," making us all laugh once again.

Anna and Jackson soon left us both, and made their way over to a guy who was talking on his cell phone. I guessed that it was Brian, Jackson's father. He waved to Edward and me before picking up Jackson and carrying him to a grey BMW along with Anna.

Deciding to look at my own phone, I noticed that it was already a little past seven o'clock, meaning that I probably needed to make my way home. Edward was already ahead of me, waiting expectantly for me and nodding towards the car.

I smiled, following him to his silver Volvo, and commenting, "He's really adorable." I was obviously talking about Jackson, which Edward got. The cuteness factor definitely ran in the family, I could tell.

Edward grinned, "Yeah, he's a great kid." I could tell from his facial expression that he was really close to Jackson, and that he cared for him a lot. If possible, that fact made me like Edward even more than I already did. I just adored it when guys were nice to kids.

Edward opened up my door for me, shutting it and smiling once more at me before getting in on the other side. As soon as he turned on the engine, the sound of classical music reappeared, flowing out of the car speakers, making us both unwind.

Once again, a comfortable silence settled between us. I casually looked out the window watching as the green scenery vanished, replacing it with tall buildings and apartments – city life, basically.

Of course, I wasn't just looking out the window; I was also glancing at Edward occasionally. Unfortunately, he noticed every time, smiling – probably at how pathetic I was for constantly staring at him.

That thought completely slipped out of my mind when, after a few minutes, Edward grasped my left hand with his right one – obviously using the other to steer. I blushed, looking up at him as he smiled crookedly, still focused on the road.

I tried not to think too much about how perfectly our hands moulded together, focusing once more on the view outside my window. That was when I noticed that we were already on my street.

In no time flat, we had arrived to my house and Edward looked toward me once, before gracefully getting out to open my door for me. He walked me to my front door, making sure I had a key to get in before looking nervously towards me.

He wanted to say something, but the words didn't seem to be coming out.

That was when he took a deep breath before looking down at me, "I don't want this to be our last date together." It took a while, but a smile slowly broke out across my face as his words registered in my mind.

"Neither do I," I looked up into his eyes, once again feeling the air rush out of me. His piercing green eyes melted deeply into my own, once again searching for something. I took that time to really look into his eyes, seeing happiness, a little bit of anxiety, and something else I didn't quite recognize.

"Good," he whispered, not daring to break eye-contact as he leaned down. The nervous expression once again returned on his face as his hand reached up to cup my cheek. My breathing got irregular at that point, and I tried to get it back to normal, unsuccessfully.

I guess he couldn't tell whether or not I wanted to do this, seeing as I really wasn't giving him any response, so I moved closer to him, making him smile. His lips were literally an inch away from mine when he looked into my eyes one last time.

Then, he slowly and gently pressed his lips to mine, just as my eyes slid shut.

I could literally die happy at that moment. I felt like I was floating, free, completely blown away. A day ago, I would've said that the best feeling in the world would be going cliff-diving and feeling the wind rush through my hair. I was wrong; kissing Edward Cullen was the best feeling in the world.

I sighed against his lips, and I felt him smile, moving in sync with me. This wasn't one of those fast-paced, desperate kisses that left you gasping for air. It was slow and chaste, but even so, it still made me breathless.

His lips were smooth, just as I had imagined, and after a few seconds, I felt his hand move from my face to my waist, pulling me close. Unconsciously, I moved my hands around his neck, threading my fingers into his bronze hair. Like I had predicted when I'd first seen it, it was silky smooth.

He broke away, pecking my lips lightly before whispering, "Goodnight." He looked into my eyes once more, a smile on his face, before he turned away and headed to his car.

He smiled at me once more, and I smiled back, as he got into his car.

After watching his car speed away, I slowly made my way inside, still in a daze from what had just occurred. I stalked upstairs into my bedroom, collapsing on my bed. Was this real life? God, I prayed it was.

I lightly touched my fingers to my lips, closing my eyes. I couldn't even describe how amazing it had been to finally feel his lips pressed against my own. I'd only ever had one other kiss before this one, but it had been uncomfortable and kind of disgusting. This kiss had been absolutely flawless, and I really hoped that I got to kiss Edward again.

For now, all I wanted to do was replay the day's events in my head over and over, because today had most definitely been the best day of my life.

* * *

**A/N: ASDFGHJKL THEY KISSED!**

**Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Pleasseeeee leave me a review for this one. It was pretty rushed because I only started writing it last night, and finished it in the morning. But it was like the BIG chapter, so yeah :P**

**What'd you guys think of Jackson? Isn't he ca-uteee :)**

**Geez, I just can't even thank you guys enough for boosting my story to like 130-something reviews. I just really can't believe you guys actually like this story :') awww!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for all the alerts/favorites I've received! Wow :O **

**You guys are amazing for reviewing: **_**se7en29, Ella1989, gemma loves edward, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Atzy, Tanii92, Rawr Olivia Grace, Pongu, romanceaholic, yellowporscheowner96, TwilightLoverGirl1, Jaymili, Twilight RoeiSim23, I'm A Sucker For Love Stories, matsu23, xxlovethisxx, alicelover520, dr . meow1234, Avery (Guest), TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, **_**and 1**_** Guest. **_

_**WOW! Chapter 10 already? Where did the time go? :) enjoy!  
**_

* * *

Chapter 10

Bella

The next morning felt like a blur.

I woke up feeling unnaturally rested, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes before yawning quietly. I lay down in bed for a few moments, gathering my thoughts and finally, really, waking up.

It was then that the memories from the day before came flooding back to me.

I relived them one by one, feeling more and more awake as I went through each; the dinner, the swings, Edward's cousin, the car ride… the kiss. I felt my cheeks heat up and my heart start beating erratically in my chest.

Just thinking about the feel of Edward's lips on mine had me in a frenzy. But a good one.

I wondered whether I should text him or not. No, if I did, then I'd most likely come off as desperate. Then again, what if he thought that I'd suddenly lost interest?

I was interrupted from my mental debate by the sound of my phone chiming its annoying ringtone. I was slightly annoyed that the sound had broken me out of my train of thought, but nevertheless, I answered. Of course I had forgotten to check the Caller ID, and immediately regretted that fact when I heard a familiar voice speaking through the handset.

"Bella?" her sing-song voice rang out from my speaker.

"Hey…what's up?" I was basically cringing away from my phone because I already knew what was going to come.

'What's up?' What's up is that my best friend didn't feel the need to call me last night after her date - _like she said she would_ - and I was forced to grill her _date_ to get some sort of information. Which by the way, I didn't get. He was so tight-lipped about the whole thing," Alice seethed, obviously pissed off.

I mentally groaned. Why hadn't I called Alice last night? I should have, but I had been on too much of a high from my date to really do anything at all - let alone call Alice. I mean, it was literally a feat to shower and get ready for bed, because all I really wanted to do was lie down and sigh dreamily while I replayed the date in my head. Yeah, I was in deep, and there was no going back now.

Working out a way to quickly save myself from my blunder, I sighed, "I am _so_ sorry, Al. You know you'd be the first person I'd tell about these kinds of things. I mean, I haven't even told Rose yet! So that has to count for something, right?"

I heard silence on the other end as I waited with baited breath for a response which failed to come. She wasn't going to give up so easily.

I tried again, "Look, just tell me how I can make up for this. Please? I'll do anything." Right after the words slipped out of my mouth, I instantly wished that I could take them back. Alice was going to use this to her full advantage… I mean, this was Alice after all. _Stupid Bella, _I berated myself.

Finally I heard a hum on the other end. "Well…" she dragged out the word, sighing, as if in deep thought. I rolled my eyes; she could be so overdramatic at times.

"There _is_ something you can do: come over to my house and tell me every single detail of what happened yesterday. Don't leave anything out, or else. And don't worry, Edward won't be here to eavesdrop… he's gone off to the library or something," Alice explained, making me sigh.

I couldn't really complain though, since knowing Alice, she could've asked for much more, much worse. Plus, I also kind of wanted to spill my guts to someone about my amazing date, even if it was to my date's sister.

"Fine, fine. I'll be over in a few," I said, smiling slightly before ending the call.

Jumping off my bed, I went to the bathroom, showering quickly before getting dressed in a simple outfit: a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a grey and white- striped tank top which was more flowy than tight, and a pair of black Prada ballet flats. Over my tank top, I wore a black cardigan.

Finally, I was ready to go. Grabbing my Michael Kors handbag, I headed downstairs.

I was interrupted from my speed-walk to the front door by my family who were all seated at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. My parents were already dressed for work, while Emmett was dressed in casual clothes, shoveling down mouthfuls of his pancakes. I speculated that he'd just gotten back from Jasper's after seeing his car keys and a gym bag – containing his pajamas – on the counter.

"Where are you off to?" my father, Charlie, asked. I grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard, turning towards them, explaining, "I'm going over to Alice's. She wants to do some girl-talk or something…I'll be back around 2."

Both my parents nodded, comfortable with my answer. It was then that I suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, how was your dinner party last night?" I asked.

I had fallen asleep before my parents had gotten home, so I hadn't gotten the chance to make small talk about their party/reunion.

My mom looked especially pleased that I'd asked, and it was then that I knew I'd made a huge mistake by asking.

Renée went off about how wonderful the decorations had been and how everyone had made lovely speeches for their friend's wedding anniversary. Charlie mostly talked about the food. I guess I knew where Emmett had gotten that from.

I simply stood there, desperately wanting to make a break for it, but knowing that I couldn't leave without looking rude. After all, I'd been the one to ask them how it had been.

Alice was going to kill me if I reached late. Great.

Seeing my distress and realizing that I wanted to leave, Emmett saved the day.

He cut my dad off, "Really? There were chocolate fountains?" In other words, he had taken their attention off of me and turned it towards him, allowing me to make an escape.

I smiled, mouthing a thanks to him, before slipping out the front door. It really would've been awful if my parents had trapped me home, because then Alice would've been even more annoyed with me. And that wouldn't have been pretty.

I sighed; my brother really was my savior at times. We understood each other so well, and we would both do anything for each other. We were that close.

I suddenly felt a large amount of guilt swell through me. I guess it had always been there, but really thinking about this whole situation again, the feeling doubled.

I was dating my brother's best friend behind his back.

I needed to figure out a way to tell him soon, because if he found out from someone else, I'd be in serious trouble.

I couldn't help but think about how things would've been so much less complicated if Edward and I were just friends, only wanted to be friends…but I didn't want to be just friends. I wanted to be more, and I think he did too.

I sighed, deciding that I'd tell Emmett when I got the chance and when he was in the best mood he could be in. Maybe I'd do it at Jasper's surprise party, when he'd be having a blast. Yeah, that'd be perfect.

With that thought, I hopped into my car and made my way to Alice's house, reaching there in record time. She had texted me beforehand that she would leave the front door opened, so I made my way inside, heading upstairs to her room.

"Honey, I'm home," I said as I opened Alice's bedroom door, throwing my arms out to the side dramatically. What can I say? She was rubbing off on me.

I looked around to see Alice sitting on her bed, painting her nails. She grinned, before playing along, placing a hand over her heart, "Oh finally! Darling, it was torture waiting on your arrival."

We looked at each other for a good few seconds before I snorted and we both collapsed into a fit of giggles. I hopped on her bed just as she finished brushing the fuchsia nail polish across her last bare fingernail. Now, I watched as she waved her hands around in the air in an attempt to dry her nails quickly.

Then she turned to me, looking ready to burst, "So?!"

And so, I began my descriptive recollection of the previous day's events. Alice sighed and 'aww'ed at almost every bit, and by the end of my description, she looked quite proud. I guess because she was the one who had set all of this in motion. Not that I wanted to give her all of the credit.

I hadn't gotten to the part about Edward walking me to my door after our date, and Alice beat me to it, "Oh my God, did he kiss you?"

Unable to stop myself, my cheeks flamed, and I looked away from my friend in embarrassment. Hey, it was her brother after all. Not that she cared, but still.

"Well…." now it was my turn to drag out the 'well' in an attempt to prolong having to tell Alice about the kiss.

"Oh my gosh. He kissed you. He totally kissed you. How was it?! You know what, you don't have to tell me… if it's weird. Ugh. But I wanna know so bad," Alice whined, jutting out her bottom lip in a pout.

I didn't know whether or not I should give in and tell her, or keep my mouth shut.

I sat there, squirming a bit, before deciding to just tell her. I mean, I was going to explode if I kept it in for any longer, "It was…. Well, it was amazing. Incredible. Flawless. I can't even describe it. The moment itself was perfect, and when he leaned in and kissed me, it just felt…right. It was slow and sweet, and he was such a gentleman about the whole thing." I sighed at the end, resting my chin on my hand, and smiling.

Alice didn't suppress her excitement, squealing and clapping loudly. "I knew it. Aww, I'm so happy for you. And him. And you both." Then she went into another round of squealing.

After a few minutes of both of us freaking out that I'd finally found someone, we decided to go downstairs and watch a movie to pass some time. Alice went off to look for a good movie, while I sat down on the couch, texting a few of my friends back.

I faintly heard footsteps across the floor, "Found anything interesting?" I didn't bother looking up, figuring it was Alice coming back with a movie.

So I guess you could imagine my shock when I heard a velvety smooth voice answer, "Um, not particularly."

I chanced a glance upward, mortified beyond belief when I saw Edward a few feet from me, looking amused. "Gosh, I thought you were Alice. I'm sorry," I apologized for my lack of attention, only making him smile wider, "I figured…. I just wanted to see your reaction."

I smiled back, taking in his appearance. He looked gorgeous as always, even dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a white polo. His hair was in its usual bronze disarray, and his green eyes were sparkling with happiness as he tucked his hands into his pockets. My heart thrummed, thinking about how much he resembled a male model right then.

I opened my mouth, about to say something, and so did he, making us both laugh lightly.

Alice chose that moment to reenter the room, looking completely unsurprised to see Edward.

"You know any good movies? I can't find anything," Alice sighed, looking at her brother, who shrugged before looking to be in thought.

"I wanna watch a horror, so think more in that genre," she directed him, winking toward me when he briefly looked away. Huh? I thought Alice knew how much horror movies scared the crap out of me. What was she up to?

"How about 'A Haunting in Connecticut'? I heard that's pretty good," he looked from me to Alice, eyebrows raised. Then he made his way over to the couch, sitting next to me. Oh yeah, he also happened to reach for my hand. Did I mention that his hand touching mine never failed to give me butterflies, no matter how much he did it? Well, it did.

"Ooo that's actually a really good one. I'll be back, I think it's up in my room," Alice responded, racing up the stairs.

"How has your day been so far?" Edward asked, looking down at me with his piercing green eyes.

"It's been alright, but it's progressively been getting better," I answered honestly, lacing my fingers through his, making him smile crookedly.

"Oh? And what's caused this sudden change?" Edward grinned, already knowing the answer.

I wasn't going to give him what he wanted that easily, so I decided to play dumb. "Hmm...No idea," I answered, shrugging.

Obviously he wasn't having that, leaning down so that his face was literally inches from mine. My heart began its erratic pattern of beating that it always did around Edward as I gulped.

"Bella, please tell me," he whispered, looking at me from under his eyelashes. He resembled an angel when he did that, and I temporarily forgot how to speak.

I blinked, "What?" I couldn't remember the question... I couldn't remember where I was. I couldn't even remember my name. What was it again?

He was dazzling me with his every action, and he didn't even realize how much it was affecting me.

Edward suppressed a chuckle, the corners of his lips tugging upwards as he answered, "What's made your day get better?"

I didn't think. I wasn't thinking. I rarely ever did around Edward, and so I answered with, "You." Crap. I mentally cursed myself after realizing that he'd tricked me into telling me. Not that I was angry, but still, my pride was slightly wounded after realizing that he could basically get me to tell him anything he wanted.

Edward smiled gently after hearing my answer, leaning in, and making my breath hitch. I was becoming more and more flustered by our close proximity, so I took a deep breath, just as he moved so close to me that I could feel his cool breath fanning over my face.

"You made mine better too," he whispered, making goosebumps rise up all over me. I smiled at his words, leaning closer to him, and making him grin, as he made to close the gap between us.

Lithe footsteps broke our moment as they descending the staircase, and we both pulled away from each other quickly. I repressed my urge to sigh in annoyance that we'd been interrupted, but the feeling quickly dissipated when I realized I could never actually be mad at Alice. It was physically impossible.

Alice looked guiltily at us, "Ugh. I'm sorry to have to have to do this, but Jasper just called and he wants to see me. It's apparently urgent. But you guys carry on. Watch the movie without me."

Alice passed the movie to Edward, who looked confused at this sudden, random news but nevertheless accepted it. I, of course, didn't buy any of it even though I pretended to on the outside.

Alice had once again set this entire thing up. The secret hint she'd dropped to me just moments before confirmed it. But hey, I wasn't complaining.

Not giving us any time to say goodbye to her or anything, she headed out the front door, locking it behind her. It wasn't long before we heard the purr of her Porsche as it started up, pulling out of the driveway.

Edward eventually released my hand to go set up the movie, but grasped it as soon as he sat back down, and started the movie. This simple action made me smile so much.

He had shut off the lights in order to cover the room in a blanket of darkness, giving the room an ominous atmosphere to go along with the movie.

Just as both of us got comfortable on the loveseat, I decided that I should probably tell him something.

"Um, I kind of get really scared when it comes to these movies. So if I scream, or do anything completely humiliating, sorry in advance," I looked up at Edward, who had a soft smile on his face, showing concern.

"Don't apologize. And if you do get freaked out, tell me if you wanna shut off the movie. I really don't mind. But just remember every time things get too intense, that I'm right here. Right next to you," Edward said softly, just as the movie officially began. His emerald eyes smoldered mine in the darkness.

That was when I surprised both him and myself as I reached up and pecked him on the lips, before leaning my head on his shoulder. It wasn't as long or deep as last night's kiss, but it was still a kiss with Edward. Therefore, it still made my heart beat irregularly in my chest, and made me take slow, calming breaths. I couldn't help it.

The feel of his lips on mine sent a pleasant shock throughout my body. It was hard to explain, but it made me feel like when I was with him, I was finally awake.

Almost immediately after my actions, I felt Edward squeeze my hand and smile down at me.

I guess watching this movie wasn't going to be so bad after all. Not when Edward was right here…right next to me.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry it's so short. I wanted to make it longer, but I'm way too tired right now :(And yes, Edward and Bella were pretty awkward at first, but I promise they'll get more comfortable around each other, and it'll stay that way.**

**School's starting back tomorrow, so I'm super depressed. Especially since my exams are coming up in late January. I really need to start studying, and you know what that means… less updates. Well even less than normal.**

**I'll hopefully get the next chapter done for next weekend but after that one's out, you guys might have to wait 2-3 weeks before you see another update :/ I'M SORRY! Blame school.**

**Please leave me a review :) this was more of a filler chapter before I get to more of the good stuff (which will be in the next chapter, I promise). So if you thought it was boring, I understand completely, since it wasn't meant to be particularly riveting haha.**

**Thanks for the love :)**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to these AMAZING people who boosted my story to 200 reviews: **_**se7en29, Poseidonkid, angelmichelle (Guest) – happy birthday! - Ella1989, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Atzy, alicelover520, Rawr Olivia Grace, **__**World'sRequiem**__**, GaleLuver27, FelicityA, Avery0113, **__**Avery (Guest), romanceaholic, yellowporscheowner96, Jaymili, Twilight RoeiSim23, xx It was Her xx, vampdreams, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, **_**and 1**_** Guest.**_

* * *

Chapter 11

Bella

We were only fifteen minutes into 'A Haunting in Connecticut', but I was already scared out of my mind. Currently, I was cowering behind a pillow - which had conveniently been resting next to me on the couch - occasionally peeping out at points when I thought it was safe to look.

Edward was trying hard not to laugh at my immaturity, and during a break in the movie, asked if I wanted some popcorn.

"Sure," I squeaked out, still holding onto the pillow for dear life - making him chuckle.

He mumbled something then, which sounded a lot like, "Too cute." But then again, this movie was probably messing with my mind. I seriously wouldn't doubt it at this point.

Before departing from me, he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek - an action that made my cheeks glow and my entire face brighten. I smiled up at him, making him grin right back, before he got up and left the room to get our snack.

Uh oh. With Edward temporarily gone, I realized that I wouldn't be able to watch the movie by myself without potentially getting a stroke. So instead, I decided to pause the movie, accidentally freezing someone's face mid-scream. I laughed a little to myself at the embarrassing picture on the screen, before going onto my phone and sending a quick message to Alice:

**So, how's Jasper doing? :P**

It took literally five seconds for her to reply:

_Oh, he's perfectly fine. How's the movie? ;)_

I couldn't hide my smile. I knew this had all been yet another set-up by the evil pixie. I shook my head, sighing. She seriously was a mastermind at these things, and I honestly didn't mind. Well not right now, anyway.

I sent her a quick reply as I heard Edward's surprisingly light footsteps coming back towards me across the hardwood floor:

**Hmm… so far, so good. I'll ttyl :)**

Upon looking up, my jaw dropped, taking in the sight before me. Edward was balancing a bowl of butter popcorn on his forearm, while in each hand, a glass of water was safely secured. Almost immediately after seeing him, I took both glasses from him, allowing him to set the popcorn on the table in front of us. Then he sat down.

My eyebrows rose, "Do you secretly have a job as a waiter?"

My question made him outright laugh before he turned to look at me, with a look of total seriousness, "Well even if I did, and I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?"

He winked after that, practically making me fall off the couch in shock of how perfectly flawless that action was. I wasn't even exaggerating.

I hoped upon hope that my face wasn't contorted into a strange expression consisting of an open-mouth and blinking eyes… Because it sure as hell felt like it was. So, quickly regaining my composure, I tried to keep my cool as I responded with, "Well, can't you make an exception? I promise I won't tell."

Unfortunately, my response came out way more seductive than earnest, and I slowly waited for Edward to show signs of him being creeped out beyond words. But like always, he surprised me by doing quite the opposite.

"I believe you," he whispered, leaning in slowly.

My breathing became irregular once again, as my eyes found his emerald ones. They were smiling, and reassuring.

I exhaled slowly and softly as his lips brushed across my cheek. In this moment, I felt like my heart was going to fly out of my chest. Why did he have to do this to me?

"I worked in my uncle's restaurant in New York the summer I turned fifteen. That's how I know how to balance food so well," he explained by saying it close to my ear. He made me lips twitch upon hearing his answer, as he smoothly retracted back from me.

I couldn't believe he'd actually told me something like that. I'd assumed that he was just naturally good at everything, but the fact that he decided to explain the real reason to me was heartwarming.

I didn't have time to respond to his explanation because at that moment, Edward suddenly realized that the movie was paused. He glanced from the TV to me with raised eyebrows, wordlessly questioning why the TV was frozen.

I blushed in the darkness, but I was sure he could still see it even with only the dim light that was radiating off of the TV.

"I didn't wanna watch it by myself," I said almost inaudibly, hoping that he hadn't heard me.

He smiled crookedly, a clear sign that he had, before he reattached his hand to mine. That action gave me the feeling of instant warmth and security. Any body contact from Edward at all made me feel comfortable and safe.

He squeezed my hand once, before picking up the bowl of popcorn from the table, offering some to me, before hitting the 'Play' button on the remote.

We both continued sharing popcorn for the rest of the movie, and it was in the middle of the movie, while I was looking down and reaching into the bowl for a handful that I got terrified beyond belief. As I looked back up at the screen, a grotesque figure popped out of nowhere, making me scream and unconsciously jerk to the right, shielding my eyes with my hand as I hid my face in Edward's chest.

_Oh. No. That did not just happen._ My cheeks heated up immediately, and I made to move away from him, opening my mouth to apologize profusely for my reaction.

But then I felt his hand on my back, keeping me in place, and rubbing soothing circles on me. I felt my lips curl upwards as I slowly felt my embarrassment and fear slip away, and my entire body relax. I only focused on the feel of his hand on my back. And well, the feel of his surprisingly toned chest. Don't judge… need I remind you that this was Edward Cullen we were talking about?

"You can look now," I heard him say softly in his gentle tone of voice.

Great. What was I going to do _now_? As much as Edward was a caring and considerate person, I was sure he was uncomfortable with my position, so I decided to carefully move myself away from his chest.

I was almost back to my original position – which was: sitting next to Edward, but not being practically on top of him – when I felt a tug on my hand, making me look up at Edward.

"What are you doing?" he asked, genuine curiosity and confusion filling his eyes.

I stuttered a bit, "Well, um, I was – uh – I didn't think you'd –" How else was I supposed to say that? I mean, I couldn't exactly _tell_ him that I was moving away from him out of politeness and respect of his space.

Edward's eyebrows crinkled in the cutest expression of pure innocence, "I didn't want you to move."

If I hadn't been speechless before, I was now. Say what? Had I just imagined that, or had he actually said that he wanted me to go back to leaning on his chest?

As if wanting to reassure me even further, Edward got comfortable, moving over so that he was leaning on the arm of the couch with his legs on the coffee table. Then he looked toward me with raised eyebrows and pulling my hand once again, as if silently saying, "C'mere."

Could he get any more perfect? I almost felt my mouth starting to hurt because I was smiling so much at what he'd just said and done.

I carefully returned to my position with my head on Edward's chest. Except this time, I leaned my head a little further on his chest than before, deciding to put my feet up on the couch as well, in order to get comfortable. Basically, half of my body was lying on top of him. And, instead of stroking my back like before, Edward decided to gently stroke my neck.

I sighed in pleasure, wanting to desperately freeze this moment forever.

Things continued to flow smoothly for the rest of the movie, thankfully, with no more embarrassing yet rewarding reactions on my part. Edward would always tell me when to close my eyes and reopen them, and it was just…peaceful. Well as peaceful as watching a scary movie can get.

When the final credits came rolling around, both Edward and I stayed frozen in our positions. A comfortable silence passed between us as we looked at the names of all the members of crew for 'A Haunting in Connecticut'.

"We should do this more often," Edward's deep, velvety-smooth voice made butterflies flutter in the pit of my stomach. His hand gliding across my neck really wasn't helping either.

I smiled, "What? Watch movies? Or lie like this?" I moved my head so that I was looking up at his face. He was already looking down at me, making us both smile.

"Both," he stated honestly. I watched in surprise as his green eyes started to galze over.

"Bella?" Edward asked, as I found myself slowly getting lost in his emerald green eyes once again. Why did he have to be so darn gorgeous?

"Yeah?" I asked, almost sounding out of breath. I couldn't help it; Edward tended to bring out that kind of reaction in me.

"Can I do something?" he whispered, as I felt myself slowly going incoherent. At this point, I'd agree to anything he asked of me, so I just nodded.

He leaned over me because of our position, but nevertheless, was able to able to reach my face… and then, my lips. He slowly, but firmly pressed his lips to mine, making me relive our first kiss together all over again. The sparks went off immediately in my head.

Reality felt like a dream when I kissed Edward. He woke me up.

Moving our lips in sync with each other, I realized that this wasn't exactly the most ideal position for us to kiss in, so I put my hand on his chest, in a kind of warning that I was going to be moving.

He received the message, but kept his smooth lips attached to mine as I shifted, so that instead of lying on top of his lap, I was sitting on top of it. I felt his lips twitch at my adjustment, making me smile along with him.

Then I allowed myself to get lost in this kiss, this moment, like I had done just the night before, and like I wanted to continue doing.

I wound my arms around Edward's neck, moving my lips slowly in time with his as I ran my fingers through his silky smooth copper hair. Meanwhile, his arms encircled my waist, pulling my body closer to him.

As much as I wanted to deepen the kiss, I didn't think that now was the right time. I liked Edward, more than I'd ever liked anyone else. But at the same time, I didn't want to rush things. I really didn't want to push him. I mean, I was already sitting on top of his lap, and this was only our second date - technically.

So, I moved my lips against his once more before breaking away. Looking at his face, I realized that his pupils were dilated, and not just because of the darkness.

I was practically gasping for air as he leaned his forehead against mine. He was pretty out of breath himself. We stayed looking at each other for a good while, before he pecked me on the lips once more, making me sigh.

"Did I ever tell you how much I like you?" Edward asked, and I felt us come so close together that our noses began to touch.

I giggled, both from our proximity, but also because of his question – which I admit, had caught me a little off-guard.

"No, I don't think so," I said thoughtfully, making him grin. His smile was radiant, and contagious.

"Well, I really like you. A lot. What I said last night - about wanting to go out with you more – wasn't a lie. I know we're still in the dating phase, so I don't wanna freak you out by saying all this, but I really just wanna put it out there," Edward said, all jokes aside, his pools of green boring into my dull brown ones.

It took me a while to respond, mainly because I was still recovering from that kiss and now, his confession, but also because his eyes were kind of making my brain go haywire, "I'm not freaked out, trust me. I don't want this to be a one-time fling either. I _really_ like you, and that's something that's pretty new to me because I've never felt this way about anyone else… Thank you for telling me. I wanted to hear that."

I kissed his lips softly, before breaking away and finding myself swimming in his mesmerizing eyes yet again. Several emotions flickered through them: disbelief, hope, excitement, but most of all, happiness.

I knew he saw those same emotions in my eyes, and that gave me a slight thrill. I mean, this all felt pretty surreal to me: Edward liking me, us kind of going out, me sitting on Edward's lap, me kissing Edward.

Never in a million years did I think I'd be here, with him, right now. But I was honestly so happy that things had turned out like this for me. I wouldn't want to be spending my Sunday afternoon with anyone else.

He leaned in once more, cautiously, about to plant another kiss on my lips. I smiled, leaning in closer to him as well, and making him smile in turn.

But like all moments, this one had to be broken.

Just as our lips touched, the lights switched on, and we heard a surprised gasp come from the doorway. Oh great…

* * *

**A/N: So this was mainly supposed to be a Bella and Edward-filled chapter. Hope you enjoyed :) hm, I wonder who walked in on them? It's pretty obvious I suppose, but still, I wanna hear your answers :D**

**If you're bored right now, PLEASE hold on for the next chapter. I promise that things will get more exciting soon. Remember that Bella and Edward are still getting to know each other… and there's Jasper's surprise party coming soon and all… and some well-known bimbos shall be appearing at Bella's school when she goes back…**

**Please stay with me :D**

**Next update = Sunday 27th January, 2013 (my exams will officially be overrr :D woo!) while waiting on that day to come though (oh wow, that sounds desperate), you can check out my other story if you want. It's called 'Falling For Royalty'. Or if that one's boring, check my favorite stories list for some awesome stories to keep you going before the update.**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you so much to all of these wonderful reviewers: **_**MissMartha, Rawr Olivia Grace, Atzy, Ella1989, romanceaholic, Twilight RoeiSim23, FelicityA, alicelover520, Lovetwilight1234, vampdreams, Jaymili, jrum, yellowporscheowner96, GaleLuver27, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Avery0113, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, and **_**1**_** Guest. **_

**Hmm… hope you guys like this chapter! :D**

_Disclaimer__: I still do not own Twilight._

* * *

Chapter 12

Bella

_Recap:_

_He leaned in once more, cautiously, about to plant another kiss on my lips. I smiled, leaning in closer to him as well, and making him smile in turn._

_But like all moments, this one had to be broken._

_Just as our lips touched, the lights switched on, and we heard a surprised gasp come from the doorway. Oh great…_

I was scrambling off of Edward - and basically putting ten feet between us – before I could even process the entire situation. My embarrassment level had hit the roof, making my cheeks turn the reddest they had ever heated up to, in my life.

Edward stayed, unmoving in his spot, looking slightly less mortified than I was – with wide green eyes and a set jaw. He temporarily distracted me from the matter at hand, making me drool over how incredibly sexy he looked with his jaw locked like that.

"Mom," Edward greeted, sounding like if he was choking.

I snapped out of my reverie, blinking, getting back to reality after hearing that one word. Yes, you had heard right. Mom. As in, Edward's _mother_ had walked in on me and her son getting up-close and personal on her couch.

_Oh dear Lord._

I opened my mouth to say something, before closing it after realizing that I would probably embarrass myself further by speaking.

I literally couldn't believe that this was happening right now. I mean, not only was I feeling incredibly flustered, but I imagined that Mrs. Cullen was feeling that way too. I mean, imagine walking in on your son all cuddled up to some random girl. Well I wasn't exactly random - I was her daughter's best friend, after all. But still.

An awkward silence passed, thereby increasing the tension in the room. I was pretty sure that it was so strong by now, that it was tangible. I was almost finding it hard to breathe, looking down at my feet, and basically anywhere but at Edward's mom.

Unfortunately, I couldn't keep avoiding her face. And I kind of had to admit that it was killing me not knowing what her reaction to this entire situation was.

Admittedly, I was seriously expecting her to be sporting a protective motherly glare directed towards me. However, I was thoroughly surprised when I saw her fighting back a smile as she looked from Edward to me.

Even though we'd met before, considering the situation, I was truly expecting a little more hostility from Edward's mother. But then again, I could never really picture her being angry at anyone, let alone me.

Mrs. Cullen, or Esme as she preferred to be called, was a renowned interior designer in Chicago. She had a round face and amber eyes, which complimented her caramel-coloured hair. She was currently decked out in a pants suit, looking put-together as always, and still wearing a pleased smile on her face.

I had only met her a few times, but on each occasion, she had been nothing but warm and hospitable. She was one of those mothers – you know, the ones that enjoyed cooking for their families, cleaning the house etc. Basically, she was an exact replica of what people envisioned when thinking of 'the ideal mother'.

"I finished work early, so I figured I'd come home and start dinner," she explained to Edward, before continuing.

My cheeks had slowly been returning back to their normal colour after realizing that she wasn't breaching the subject of me and Edward, like I'd thought.

Obviously, I had spoken too soon with that assumption.

"So, you both are –" as Esme motioned between the two of us, my horror returned once more. As much as Esme was a wonderful person, I really didn't want to discuss me and Edward with her. Mainly because of the fact that she was Edward's mother, and also because _I_ didn't even know what me and Edward were as yet. We weren't a couple, but we weren't just friends.

Noticing my reluctance to answer, Edward cut his mom off by clearing his throat, and giving her a look which said "Not the time, Mom." Then he ran his hands through his hair as he looked towards me apologetically. _God, wasn't he perfect?_ Once again, he was distracting me from everything else going on around me. Nothing new there.

"Well regardless, it's lovely seeing you again, Bella. Will you be joining us for dinner?" Esme looked so excited, that it literally killed me to say 'no'. I had a valid excuse though. I wasn't just declining her offer because of this whole debacle, even though I had to admit that it was a reason as well.

"I, actually, should be getting back home. I told my parents I'd be back by two, and that was an hour ago," I joked lightly, as Esme nodded in understanding, looking disappointed.

"Thank you so much for the offer though…I wish I could stay," I did a half-smile, truly feeling sorry that I couldn't attend dinner with Edward's family.

But Esme brushed the matter off, beaming, "You're welcome, dear. Tell your parents I said 'hello'," she said, walking towards me, before pulling me in for a small hug.

Like I'd stated before, her whole presence radiated motherly affection, so even her hugs were comfort-filled. I smiled, hugging her back, "Will do. Thanks again."

Esme smiled once more to me and Edward, giving us both odd looks which I didn't exactly know the meaning of. Then, she walked back into the kitchen.

I turned to Edward, who was already walking towards me. "I'm really sorry about that," he apologized, referring to the whole 'his mom walking in on us' thing. His green orbs burned into my dull brown ones, nothing but sincerity in then. He had taken both of my hands in his, as I interlaced my fingers with his, and smiled up at him.

"It's okay. I really did have to get back. It wasn't just some lame excuse," I smiled, reassuring him and reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. He wasn't having that though – just as I was about to press my lips against the side of his face, he turned, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. I sighed into it, not complaining at all for the surprising change, loving the feel of his lips on mine more than anything.

He leaned his forehead against mine, squeezing my hand, "I'll see you before school tomorrow?" My smile at his question practically lit my face up like a Christmas tree, and I think he realized.

"Definitely," I grinned, making him smile in turn.

He walked with me to my Audi A5, opening and closing my door for me, making me smile once again at his gentlemanliness. Then he stepped back, waving as I pulled out of the driveway.

I sighed, unable to stop myself from thinking about how amazing today had been. Even though it'd gotten weird towards the end, what with Esme walking in on us, I was extremely happy to have spent that time with Edward.

It made me feel closer to him; like I knew him just a little bit more.

* * *

Edward

I watched as Bella's car slipped out of the driveway and onto the street, before I retuned back inside.

Was it weird that I already kind of missed her? I sighed to myself, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. I knew it was too soon to ask her to be my girlfriend, but it was literally breaking me to know that I couldn't call her mine.

I guess I would have to wait it out until I felt that it was time for that kind of commitment. Not for me, but for her. I knew that she had feelings for me, but I wasn't sure to what depth. Even though I'd been reassured today that Bella wanted a relationship soon enough, and this wasn't just a one-time thing to her, I still didn't know when would be the right time to ask her to be my girlfriend.

I walked into the kitchen, planning on getting some orange juice to drink before going up to my room, but of course, I was stopped by my mom. "So?!" she said, looking at me expectantly as she began cutting up some onions for the pasta she was making.

I shrugged, trying to act casual, but she saw right through it. "How long has this been going on? And why didn't you tell me?" my mom looked hurt that I hadn't let her in on this whole dating-thing, and I began to explain my reasoning behind not telling her.

"Honestly, it's only been two days, counting today. We met last week, and then we went out on a date last night, while you and dad were at that conference in the city. I didn't tell you anything, because we're not really exclusive… yet," I said, pouring myself the glass of orange juice and sipping on it while I waited for her reaction.

She nodded, "Oh... Well you two could've fooled me, the way you were both, you know –" I cut her off before she could say anything more, already getting embarrassed beyond belief at her inference. I sat down at the kitchen table, watching my mom cook. I'd offered my help countless times before, but I knew by now that she preferred to work alone in the kitchen. It was her thing.

"You really like her, don't you?" my mom's tone took on a serious note as she gazed towards me. I didn't even have to think twice before I nodded, unconsciously letting my mind wander back to Bella just at the mention of her. I hadn't realized that I was smiling, until my mom pointed it out, "I remember that look."

I raised my eyebrows, looking towards my mom as she smiled, "It was the same look I always got when I first started dating your father. Every time someone even mentioned his name, I got all dazed and dreamy." It made me smile hearing her compare my father's and her relationship, to mine and Bella's. It gave me hope that there was a possibility that we could be as long-lasting as my parents.

"I've never felt this way about anyone else. It's so crazy, but when I'm with her, I feel like things are finally….right. She amazes me with everything she does," I smiled, thinking about Bella once more and all the things she'd said and done in the past few days.

My mom broke me out of my daze, "I'm glad it's her, and not anyone else. She's such a wonderful person, and she seems to really be making you happy." I smiled, nodding in agreement. I was grateful that my mom approved of Bella, and spoke so highly of her.

After a few minutes of casual talking between my mom and me, I decided to go upstairs and play some Call of Duty, while waiting on the food to get ready. But of course, as soon as I turned on the PlayStation, I was too distracted by the occurrences of today to focus on the game itself. I shut the power off, after realizing that it was pointless to try playing, sitting for a few minutes.

I was having a hard time thinking of what I could possibly do at this moment, until it seemed that the heavens opened up as an idea popped up into my head. Suddenly, my feet began moving on their own accord, before I could even comprehend what was going on. I walked up another flight of stairs, landing on the third floor which contained three rooms: the game room, a guest bedroom, and last but not least, the music room.

I opened the door containing a select shelves of different sheet music surrounding a select few instruments which my family enjoyed playing. But my eyes weren't searching for just any instrument – as soon as I entered the room, my eyes settled on a sleek-black grand piano which I'd gotten for my tenth birthday.

I took a deep breath, sitting on the bench of the piano which had been untouched since I'd moved to Chicago– not because I didn't enjoy playing anymore, but mostly because I didn't have any inspiration - until now.

I picked up the purple cloth which acted as a shield to protect the keys from collecting dust, setting it aside, before placing my fingers on the white keys. Then, I allowed myself to think of one thing, and one thing alone – more specifically, one person - and before I knew it, my fingers were gliding across the keys. It was as if I'd never stopped playing.

I kept her image in my mind as I finally let out everything that I'd been feeling. The composition started off happy and giddy, describing how I felt when I first met her. Then the tone became soothing yet intriguing, describing how I felt when I began to get to know Bella. It continued in a calming, smiling mood as I began to describe her with the music.

Finally, it turned mysterious and wondering, closing in on how I felt right now.

I knew that the piece wasn't finished. Not yet. It probably never would truly be finished.

But for now, it described her, and everything that I knew and felt about her.

I played a few more notes, making the piece drift off into nothingness, smiling softly, before replacing the cloth on the keys and shutting the piano.

I hoped I'd be able to play it for Bella one day.

I sighed once more, getting up, and returning into my room. I only had to wait a few more minutes until my mom called me down for dinner.

My dad, Carlisle, and Alice had arrived home, so we all ate at the dining room table in silence. I didn't mind though. It was comfortable. That thought made me smile a little, because that's how it felt every time a silence passed between me and Bella.

I had to resist the urge to shake my head at my train of thought.

I was really falling for her, hard. And there was no going back now.

* * *

**A/N: I know it's a day late! Ahh, please don't kill me :/ lol**

**I had a migraine that just refused to go away last night. So instead of finishing off the chapter as planned, I got a little rest.**

**Anyway, please drop me a review or two :D I love them. Never get tired of hearing your thoughts. Again, I know this chapter wasn't amazing, and fluff-filled like the last one, but I promise that there will definitely be more of those soon!**

**By the way, I was extremely surprised at how few of you guessed that Edward's mom was the one who walked in on them. Everyone thought it was Emmett :P don't worry... That time will come soon :D**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	13. Chapter 13

**Still continuing to receive an overwhelming amount of alerts/ favorites :O never fails to surprise me. Thank you! **

**Also, thank you so for your reviews: **_**MissMartha, b1tch-breath, vampdreams, mayejrmorris, Rawr Olivia Grace, Ella1989, xx It was Her xx, angelmichelle (Guest), romanceaholic, Twilight RoeiSim23, FelicityA, alicelover520, Lovetwilight1234, GaleLuver27, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Avery0113, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, and **_**1**_** Guest.**_

* * *

Chapter 13

Bella

The next morning, I woke up feeling well-rested and, oddly, excited to go to school. Well actually, it wasn't so odd seeing as Edward was the reason behind my excitement.

After rubbing my eyes and mentally preparing myself for another day of school, I quickly jumped out of bed, getting showered and dressed in my dark green skirt, white shirt, and matching green blazer. I passed a brush, followed by my curling iron through my hair, allowing my hair to fall in wavy ringlets. Then I applied a minimum bit of light foundation, some mascara and black eyeliner, before I hurried downstairs, grabbing a bowl of cereal and pouring in a bit of milk. Then, in true Emmett fashion, I shoveled the food into my mouth, sipping some apple juice in between bites.

Up until then, I hadn't even realized that my parents were already seated at the kitchen table, until I turned around and saw both of them looking at me with their eyebrows raised – clearly suspicious.

I giggled nervously, explaining my rushed behavior, "I have a huge biology test this morning. Just wanna get to school in time to do some extra studying." Lie. Lie. Lie.

I hated lying, especially to my parents. I just wasn't sure whether or not I should tell them about Edward as yet.

I mean, my mom was especially a blabber-mouth - unable to keep anything to herself - so I knew that if I told her about me and Edward dating, she'd for sure tell Emmett. And I definitely wasn't ready to deal with that as yet. I had already decided that I would try to tell him at Jasper's party, when I knew he'd be in a good mood.

My parents still looked apprehensive after my explanation, but nevertheless, nodded, accepting my excuse. _Good enough for me,_ I shrugged, before saying goodbye and heading out the front door.

It was then that I was hit by the freezing chill that was Chicago's winter weather. I thanked the lord that it'd be spring soon enough and I wouldn't have to deal with this brutal weather for much longer.

Bundling up in my winter wear, I practically ran to my Audi, opening and shutting the door as soon as possible before starting up the engine. I warmed up a bit, before pulling out of my driveway and heading to school.

I bit my lip, trying to hold in my enthusiasm at seeing Edward again. Even though I'd seen him less than twenty-four hours ago, it had felt like so much longer – cheesy as it sounds.

My mind started to wander off to the way his emerald green eyes sparkled when he talked about subjects of interest. The way his hair always managed to look hot even when it was the messiest thing on the planet. And last but not least, his crooked smile which managed to pull all of his attractiveness together.

Of course, I couldn't forget his incredibly built body, which wasn't really crazily buff, but not lanky either. I sighed dreamily.

I blinked, snapping out of my reverie just in time to make a turn into my school's empty parking lot. I silently thanked the Lord that I could multitask, or else it would've been pretty embarrassing for me to drive past the school entrance.

I cut off the engine, opening my door and grabbing my school bag, before heading inside the building to put my books into my locker. For some reason, it felt quite eerie walking into school this morning. It was quiet - _too quiet._ In fact, it had been that way for the past week or so, yet I couldn't for the life of me think of the reason why.

I shook it off, slamming my locker shut before heading outside to wait for Alice and Rose to arrive. It was then that I felt my phone buzz in my skirt pocket, make me smile unconsciously as I opened up the message to see who it was from. My smile grew as my eyes skimmed over the text:

Hey beautiful, are we still meeting up before school? I'm now leaving home (:

I mean, could he get any more amazing? I quickly sent him a reply, stating that I'd be waiting by the benches for him. Of course, I put an excessive amount of smiley faces, just because I always felt like conversations were too serious without them. It's weird, I know. Bear with me.

I continued to peer down at my phone, playing a few games to pass the time. Cars had slowly been piling in, but the lot still wasn't entirely full, so I knew that I'd still have plenty of time to hang out with Edward before we went off to our separate classes.

It was as I was about to beat my high score on Fruit Ninja, that I heard a familiar clickity-clackity-ing of stilettos against the cement pavement at school.

Only one thing came to my mind: Oh. No. She was back.

Suddenly, the reason that school had been so….well, nice, lately came flooding back to me: it was because Tanya Denali had been absent for the past week.

Basically, Tanya Denali was considered the school's Queen Bee – she even had two evil minions to go with that title. All of the girls at Haydn's College were forced to bow down to her - anyone who didn't would go through hell. Of course not literally, but she would essentially destroy your social life.

So yes, you could imagine how much less tense the atmosphere at school bad been with her gone for an entire week. Even her two bimbo sidekicks, Lauren and Jessica, were taking a chill pill and acting pretty normal with her gone.

Apparently the reason for Tanya's absence was due to the fact that she had tripped somewhere and 'broken' her nose, desperately needing to go to the plastic surgeon to get it fixed. I mentally rolled my eyes at that thought. Anyone with a brain would've known that she had just gone to get a nose job, and had been recovering from it for the past week.

Looking up, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw the difference in angularity of her nose as she walked towards me. But then something else struck me: why the heck was she walking towards me? The only reason she would ever talk to me was if I had done something to piss her off, or if she wanted something.

And I didn't have anything she would possibly want, so I thought back to anything I could've done to get on her bad side during the period of a week. However, even after a few seconds of deliberation, I came up with nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Oh great.

I really didn't have a good feeling about this.

It wasn't that I was scared of her. Definitely not. I mentally scoffed at the idea _me _being scared of _Tanya._

I just really didn't have the time or energy to deal with her mocking me or insulting me, or basically trying to hurt me. It was way too much stress for me to handle.

"Bella," Tanya smiled, coming to a halt in front of me. Her sickeningly sweet voice literally sent chills down my spine, along with the creepy smiles her two minions were sending my way.

"Tanya," I forced a smile back.

"So Alice is throwing a party for Jasper, huh?" Tanya arched an eyebrow at me whilst twirling a strand of her curly, strawberry-blond hair.

My body relaxed. Oh! So _that's_ what this whole confrontation was about. I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in, after that realization struck me. So she wanted an invite to the party.

I mentally smirked at that thought. There was no way in hell Alice was letting Tanya anywhere near Jasper, or her own house for that matter.

You see, a few weeks after Alice had moved to Chicago, around the time that she and Jasper had started dating, Tanya developed a little crush on Jasper. And by little, I mean gigantic. She had shamelessly flirted with him in front of Alice, and tried everything to get Jasper and Alice to break up.

But their relationship was like a rock; hard to break. And when Alice realized what Tanya had been trying to do…. Well let's just say, she didn't take it too lightly.

I plastered a fake apologetic smile on my face, "Sorry, Tanya. Alice would kill me if I invited anyone without her approval, and the guest list is already pretty huge. You'll have to take it up with her." I almost had to resist the urge to applaud myself at how convincing I sounded. _Way to go, Bella._

I noticed how Tanya's face hardened for a moment, most likely as she thought about how she could find another way to get invited to the party. I waited patiently for her to say something else, but then I saw as her face brightened - apparently coming to some brilliant conclusion, and she thanked me, waving goodbye. Her minions followed close behind.

I couldn't help but shake my head at the group of them. They were so odd.

Before I could think too deeply into the meaning of Tanya's actions, I got the shock of my life when I felt a pair of hands shoot out of nowhere, covering my eyes. My train of thought was lost, along with the calm vibe I had had going on for the morning.

Thankfully, it soon returned after I tugged on those hands, realizing who they belonged to. I felt the corners of my lips upturn into a smile, happy that he had finally reached, and of course with the cute way he was greeting me.

Then my smile turned into a full-blown grin when I heard him bend down to ear-level, whispering, "Guess who?" _As if I didn't know_, I smiled.

Deciding to just joke around with him a little, I answered, gasping, "Oh my gosh. Ryan Gosling?! Is that you?"

Then I felt Edward drop his hands from my face, and I turned around just in time to see him shoot a playful glare towards me, "Not funny, Bella."

I giggled, "Sorry. But you have to admit, that was pretty good, right?"

Edward shook his head at me, running his hands through his already-messy copper-toned hair, and chuckling.

Naturally, I took that opportunity to wander my eyes over his body, taking in his presence. His navy blue uniform was neat as usual, paired with a black fleece coat. I almost had to physically pull my eyes away from him, getting so enraptured by how amazing he looked.

And with that thought, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't yet said a proper 'hello' to him – if you get what I mean by 'hello'. I berated myself a little, before getting up and walking over towards him. He got the hint as to what I was about to do immediately after seeing me walk up to him. Then he followed along.

Edward smiled his perfect lopsided grin, pulling me towards him by my waist, thereby making my breath hitch. I loved it when he did things like that. Things that were so spontaneous that it took my breath away – literally.

I had almost forgotten that we were on school compound, until I heard some loud coughing behind me, making me cringe, before turning around slowly. School had been pretty deserted since it was still really early, but it hadn't been entirely empty. So it would've been logical if someone had seen me and Edward like this. I should've pulled him to the edge of the building or something, where no one ever bothered to go. I mentally slapped myself for my stupidity, just hoping upon hope that we hadn't been caught by a teacher.

Edward had frozen along with me after hearing the coughing, but we both relaxed – somewhat – after realizing who it was. Alice and Rosalie, of course. Who else?

Both of them were fighting back smiles, while I blushed furiously, and Edward kept an arm securely wrapped around my waist.

It was at that time that I decided to glance around the school compound, and it was a good thing I had. I suddenly noticed how many girls' eyes were on me and Edward – and our close proximity. To be fair, by a lot of girls, I meant about six or seven, since the rest of them were used to seeing girls hanging out with their boyfriend at Haydn's College before school – even though it was technically against the rules for guys to be on our school compound. Talk about strict.

I was really uncomfortable with all this unwanted attention though, so I shot a 'mind-your-own-business' look towards the few girls looking at us, making them all go back to what they had been doing before.

Unfortunately, I couldn't exactly do that to my friends, who by the way, were still smiling like freaks at me and Edward. Finally, Alice piped up, breaking the terribly awkward silence that had been ensuing.

"Goodmorning!" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at me and Edward, thereby deepening my blush.

"It _was_," I mumbled, only loud enough for Edward to hear. He responded by chuckling, green eyes sparkling, making me smile up at him.

"What are you guys up to?" Rosalie grinned knowingly. I wanted to tell my friends that this was most definitely not the best time to have this conversation with me – _while_ Edward was here. But I couldn't exactly say that without turning the situation from awkward, to beyond awkward.

So instead, I desperately tried to find an excuse to get out of this situation that was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. But before I could open my mouth to say anything, Edward spoke up.

"Um, I was just saying 'hi' to Bella. She forgot her sweater at my house yesterday, so I was just dropping it off for her. I'm actually going to go back over to my school now, or maybe get some breakfast at Lulu's. Do you wanna join me?" Edward ended his explanation by speaking toward me. His eyes were smiling as if saying "Just go along with it."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling, "Um, yeah, I do, actually." I looked from Edward to my friends.

Then I continued, speaking to Alice and Rose, "I'll catch up with you guys later."

They both remained pretty neutral, 'buying' the excuse we'd sold them to secretly get away from them. But I knew that inside, they both secretly wanted to kill me for ruining their fun. Hey, I was all for fun. But not when it was at my or Edward's expense. I knew that if I had stayed even one second longer, they would've both embarrassed the life out of either me or Edward. And I really didn't want that.

So, I waved 'goodbye' to my friends as Edward removed his arm from my waist, taking my hand in his instead. We both smiled as he squeezed my hand, leading me across the road. We really weren't lying about our whereabouts. We _were _going to go to Lulu's – a tiny bistro next to Jarvis High. It's just that we weren't actually going to go inside and eat.

We walked a little to the side of the building, making sure no one else was there. Then once, we knew we were sufficiently away from any watchful eyes, Edward smiled, pulling me towards him again.

"So, where were we?" he inquired, looking down at me, making me giggle.

I looked up at him, smiling, before stating, "I think we were about here-" Then I reached up on my tip-toes, making him chuckle at how small I was compared to him, before he leaned down, meeting my lips halfway. I pulled him closer to me by his coat lapels, making him smile against my lips and grip my waist even tighter.

Our lips moved slowly and in sync. We both seemed to be taking our time, enjoying every moment we could of this uninterrupted bliss. My hands moved up to his neck, as I threaded my fingers through his hair. I had missed the silky feel of it. He sighed as I pulled on the ends of his hair, pulling me as close to him as possible.

Then, when we both realized that we couldn't hold our breath for much longer, we pulled away. He rested his forehead on mine, breathing just as heavily as I was, but nevertheless, smiling.

I guess I was once again getting dazzled by his pools of green staring into my own brown ones. So, I wasn't thinking when I blurted, "I missed you."

Almost instantly, I clamped my mouth shut, feeling to just crawl into a hole and die. I mean, how much more pathetic could I sound. 'I missed you'. Seriously? I had just seen him less than a day ago. _Oh my God._

Edward didn't seem to be noticing my inner conflict, so I was awfully surprised when I heard him reply with, "I missed you too." I looked up into his eyes, noticing the pure and utter sincerity floating through them, making my lips turn up into a smile. I hadn't expected him to say that. Not one bit. Then again, when hadn't he been surprising me lately? He thought I was beautiful, was great with kids, and he had worked in a restaurant when he was fifteen.

Then, as if he wasn't surprising me enough, he planted another soft kiss on my lips, deep but gentle.

When he pulled back, we both stared at each other for a good while. He caressed my cheek softly, and I leaned in to him.

I finally knew what it was like to have someone – well, kind of. And I was enjoying every second of it.

Edward Cullen was the definition of perfection, and even though it truly baffled me that he would ever want a girl like me –who was quite the opposite of perfect - I really wasn't complaining.

* * *

**A/N: AWWWW :)**

**I wrote this chapter in pieces. Every day after school, I wrote a section, then edited it the next day, then wrote another section, and so forth. That was quite different, since I usually always write my chapters in one go. But I hope it turned out alright :D**

**I decided to introduce Tanya in this one, because you'll be seeing more of her soon. Don't worry, I'm not gonna make her unbearably annoying. Well, at least I'll try not to :P**

**Thoughts? Loved it, hated it?**

**Please drop me a review :D I love them! This chapter was longer than I expected, so I hope it was a nice change.**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	14. Chapter 14

**I have literally been so busy this past week, I can't even explain how sorry I am for this late update. But, better late than never, right? :P You guys don't even under how exhausted I am with school, and…well, life. Wow, I'm sounding so melodramatic. ANYWAY! **

**You guys always seem to cheer me up with the lovely reviews :) so thanks to: **_**Twilight RoeiSim23, angelmichelle (Guest), Far-Longer-Than-Forever, RoseNEmmettForever, FelicityA, romanceaholic, mayejrmorris, Lovetwilight1234, xx It was Her xx, se7en29, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, gemma loves edward, Pongu, MissMartha, vampdreams, Avery0113, Rawr Olivia Grace,**_** and 1**_** Guest. **_

**It's party time! **

* * *

Chapter 14

Bella

The next few days passed quickly, and Edward and I fell into step with a daily routine. We'd meet each other at Lulu's every day before school, then we'd call or text each other after doing our homework. Yes, homework. Both of us were total nerds, but hey, that's what made us so unique.

It was now Saturday – A.K.A. the big day. The day I told Emmett about me and Edward. My hands were already getting clammy just thinking about it. I had driven over to Alice's house, along with Rosalie, and we were all currently getting dressed for Jasper's surprise party.

Rose had done each of our make-up, while Alice had been in charge of hair. All we had to do now was slip on our outfits, and we would be ready. Of course, the guests still had to arrive, followed by the guest of honour, but everything was basically in order. Drinks and snacks had been bought, balloons and coloured streamers decorated most inches of the house, and the DJ had been hired.

Alice's parents had agreed to lend her the house for the party, just once she cleaned everything up afterwards. All of us close friends would most likely have to help her with that.

I pulled on a floral print flowy tube-top which had a black background, followed by a pair of white high-waisted shorts, so that my top was tucked into the shorts. This party was going to be more casual than anything, or else Alice would've forced all of the girls to wear dresses. Not that I minded – I loved dresses.

Then I sat down to pull on my shoes which were a pair of black Prada wedges shoes. There weren't particularly high at all, the heel was only an inch, so I could walk – even dance – comfortably in them.

I took a breath before walking out of Alice's bathroom and into her bedroom to meet the girls. Both of their eyes widened, and Rose even went so far as to wolf-whistle.

"Looks like someone's dressed to impress," she teased, making me blush a deep-crimson, looking down to inspect my outfit. I hadn't thought it was all-that, but I had to admit, it was pretty cute. I smiled, pleased that I looked put-together.

Alice shook her head at the way I was evaluating my outfit, shoving me in front of her full-length mirror, "Now you can see yourself properly." And then my own eyes widened as I took in my full appearance.

Not to sound vain or anything, but I looked pretty good.

My hair had been blow-dried so that it flowed down my back in natural, mahogany waves, while my make-up was a little more extravagant than usual. Only a hint of foundation had been applied to my face, as Rose had stated that I had basically no flaws in that area. However, black liquid eyeliner and mascara had been applied to my eyes, along with smoky grey eye-shadow. It contrasted nicely with my pale skin, and made my chocolate brown eyes pop.

Finally, cherry-red lip stain had been applied to my lips, giving them an inviting look. My hair and make-up basically went perfectly with my tube-top, shorts and wedged shoes.

"Edward is going to love this. Oh my gosh," Alice stated, grinning, making me turn into a tomato. I had avoided the topic of Edward around the girls, particularly Rose, in case she accidentally let it slip to Emmett. But I guess it didn't matter to talk about it now, since I was supposed to tell him tonight anyway.

"I hope so," I smoothed my top nervously, making both Alice and Rosalie smile knowingly – as if reminiscing back to the early stages in their relationships.

I sat down on top of Alice's plush, king-sized mattress, already feeling a talk coming on.

"So… tell us about _Eddie-kins_," Rosalie asked, sitting down on a desk chair as Alice sat next to me on the bed. I cringed at her awful nickname for Edward, knowing that if he'd heard Rose call him that, he would've been revolted. But nevertheless, I thought about us, and wondered what I was going to tell my friends.

I took a deep breath after a moment, already feeling a smile tug at my lips, "He's been incredible, really. He's just so caring and sweet, but protective as well. And he makes me feel so… I don't know: warm – secure. I feel on top of the world when I'm with him. Like nothing can touch us. I sound so sappy right now, but it's just how I feel."

Both Alice and Rosalie looked ready to burst with happiness, looking at me with expressions of awe.

I knew that the next thing that I was going to say would completely change their expressions though.

"The thing is though… I'm scared that he doesn't feel the same way about me, as I do about him," I confessed to them, taking a deep breath and gauging their reactions.

Both of them looked to be in disbelief after I uttered my last word, which I had predicted.

"What?!" Alice screeched. "How could you even _think _that?"

Well wasn't she just a drama queen?

I sighed, explaining, "I don't know. Maybe because he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend as yet. I mean, he told me before that this isn't just gonna be a fling for him. But he's really taking his time to make this serious. I just, I don't know if he likes me as much as I like him." I didn't know if I was making sense, but I hoped that my friends understood… somewhat.

My eyes stayed downcast after revealing something that had been bugging me for the past few days.

Then, Alice wrapped her arm around my shoulder, "Oh, honey. I love you to pieces, but sometimes you really overanalyze things. I'm telling you, Edward is _crazy_ about you. I've seen it with my own eyes. Every time I even mention you at dinner, he literally lights up. I've _never_ seen him act like this before. Trust me, he really likes you."

I smiled at that, feeling just a bit more confident, and less hopeless.

And then Rosalie inputted something that comforted me further, "I understand your insecurities. But like Alice said, I think you're going about this the wrong way. Maybe he hasn't asked you yet because he wants to make sure the time is right. Maybe he's thinking like you and doesn't know if _you _like him as much as _he_ likes you - so he doesn't want to rush things. Bella, there are endless possibilities as to why he hasn't asked you yet. Don't focus on the negatives."

I realized that I had been wrong to keep something like this from them. I hadn't thought that it was a good idea to talk about me and Edward, but I shouldn't have been scared to tell them; I should've known that they would say something to make me feel a million times better. They were my best friends; my support. They would always be there for me, and after telling them this, I finally felt like me and Edward weren't a big secret.

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I shook my head at both of them, "You guys always know the rights things to say… thank you."

They both grinned, going back to the lovable, jokey Alice and Rosalie I was so familiar with, instead of Dr. Phil and Oprah, "We know." And with that, I also turned to a lighter topic, after feeling like I had just had my yearly dosage of friend-therapy.

"But anyway, going to something completely off-topic. You guys complimented me so much on my outfit, and I didn't even get a chance to talk about yours! You both look incredible as always," I grinned, referring to Alice's and Rosalie's attire.

Rosalie was wearing an off-the-shoulder blood-red top that had "Wild Child" written across it, paired with black skinny jeans and a pair of stilettos. Alice, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of shorts in order to make her look slightly taller, along with a fuschia crop top and a pair of gladiator sandals.

We all took one good at ourselves in the mirror, smiling at each other, before deciding that we were finally ready to head downstairs.

* * *

Guests finally started piling in, getting comfortable and lounging on the sofa. Some were watching TV while others were on their phones, as the DJ began to set up out back.

Obviously, the party wasn't officially going to start without Jasper and the boys, so for now, people were just awaiting their arrival. Then, after the big 'surprise' part of the celebration was over, everyone would move on back to Alice and Edward's yard, where a tent was already set up, along with a dancefloor.

Food and drinks – and by drinks, I mean a full-on bar – had been stocked into the tent already, so I would say that the party was just about ready to get started.

I sat down on a stool in the kitchen, texting one of my cousins that I hadn't spoken to in a while. And it happened to be that as I was waiting on a response from her, an icon showed up at the top of my iPhone, notifying me that I had a new text… from Edward.

My heart skipped a beat – like it always did when it came to _him _- as I opened the message.

We're leaving the mall now (: I already messaged Rose and Alice, so don't worry to tell them.

I can't wait to see you… it's felt like forever since I held you in my arms x

Wh-what? I was finding it hard to breathe. I couldn't believe he had actually just sent that. Was this some sort of joke? I hope to God it wasn't, because he had just sent me the most amazing text I'd ever received in my life.

Not only had his words just sent my heart in overdrive, but that little 'x' at the end….

What was he trying to do to me?

I bit my lip, wondering how I was going to reply to _that, _but after a few minutes, deciding it didn't matter. I just typed out an honest message, hoping to make him smile as much as he had made me smile:

**Are you trying to dazzle me, Edward Cullen?... Cause it's working… :')**

**:) can't wait to see you too x**

**Message me when u get here**

I smiled as I sent it, continuing on to texting my cousin.

Unfortunately, my activities were interrupted – when _weren't _they, these days? – when I felt a hand tap on my shoulder. Seriously? Tapping my shoulder? Not cool. I already had a feeling that this oncoming interaction was not going to be fun-filled.

And I guessed right.

After turning around, I figured out who the person that had tapped my shoulder was, immediately wanting to run far, far away.

"Bella, right? I, um, met you the other day. Mike Newton," the boy who reminded me of a golden retriever spoke, his bright blue eyes looking imploringly at me, before he licked his lips.

Yeah… not creepy at all.

I plastered a fake, overly cheery smile on my face, laughing nervously, "I remember. How are you?"

I had meant to politely get the point across that I didn't really want to talk to Mike, but he apparently wasn't getting the hint. I realized that when he bolted into a story about how his day had been so far – and when I say story, I mean _really descriptive_ story. I silently wondered what I had done to piss off the universe lately.

Mike droned on, and at first, I nodded uninterestedly as he continued, feeling more and more exhausted after each word he said.

But then when he started talking about the fact that his girlfriend and him had recently broken up - while inching closer to me – so I took that as my cue to leave.

"I think Jasper should be coming soon, and I don't wanna miss his reaction. So, I'm just gonna head to the front now. It was nice catching up with you," I rushed out, basically speeding out of the kitchen. I breathed a sigh of relief at having averted that uncomfortable situation.

I was getting a feeling that Mike had a crush on me – a really big one – and that he wasn't the type to give up that easily. No matter how many hints I dropped.

Well that was great…just great. Note heavy sarcasm.

I looked around for Alice or Rosalie for a while. But when I realized that they weren't nearby, I decided to just go greet Angela Weber and her boyfriend, Ben Cheney. I had spotted them in my search for my best friends, and was glad that I had. They were really pleasant people, and I definitely didn't have to worry about Ben hitting on me, since he was extremely faithful to his girl.

Angela and I soon started talking, and we had just started an in depth conversation about how our Physics teacher needed to go to anger management classes soon, when I felt my phone buzz. I excused myself from Angela and Ben, who smiled politely, letting me go.

Then, I glanced at my screen, immediately seeing that it was a message from Emmett, stating that they –Edward, Emmett, and Jasper - were down the street, so we needed to get everyone into position.

I saw Alice and Rosalie emerge from upstairs - solving the mystery of where they had disappeared off to - realizing that they had touched up on their outfits. They both yelled in sync, "Everyone hide! They're almost here!"

And it was after they both uttered those single words, that I finally understood the meaning of true chaos; I saw all of the guests scatter and scramble to find a good hiding spot, shoving and pushing in their mission to disappear from view. My eyes had widened after seeing all of this, before widening even further after I soon heard the sound of a car pull up in the driveway.

Oh, crap.

Not having time to think, I quickly dove behind an L-shaped couch, just in time, staying sandwiched between two people who had already been hiding there. Alice shushed everyone, and we all zipped our mouths shut, waiting for our cue to yell 'Surprise'.

It was almost agonizing hearing the turn of a lock, followed by the sound of a doorknob being twisted – all the while, feeling my hand getting numb due to the fact that someone was sitting on it.

Thankfully, this torture would soon end, as we all soon heard a 'squeak' as the door opened up, and Jasper and Emmett's voices rang out across the room. They both continued some conversation they had been having about the new PlayStation, when the guests saw Alice in her hiding spot, moving her fingers, "One, two, three."

Then, all hell broke loose as everyone jumped out of their hiding places and yelled a loud, "SURPRISE!" It was so deafening, I was pretty sure that the neighbors had heard us. And it also looked to have given Jasper a heart attack. He had jumped back, almost falling over a table, and his grey eyes were wide as he took in the group of people surrounding him.

We all laughed at Jasper as he recovered from his shock, his mouth slowly turning from an 'o' to a wide smile. Then his eyes rested on Alice, and he shook his head at her, grinning. She smiled back, proud that her plan had worked, and that Jasper really had been surprised.

It was really cute, actually, watching them interact with each other without needing to use words. Then, their couple-y interactions soon made me think about the guy of _my_ dreams, and I scanned the room for a moment among the disorder.

It only took a second until my eyes found his, which had – surprisingly - already been trained on me. He was wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape, as he stared at me, giving me a full once-over. So I guess he liked my outfit, then? I bit my lip, blushing crimson red, making Edward snap out of his – erm – daze, only to plaster on a sheepish smile.

I took that moment to casually sweep my eyes down his figure, taking in his appearance. I was pleased – as always – with what I saw. Edward was simply dressed in a thin, cotton, black, button-down shirt. This was paired with his usual set of blue jeans, and navy Converse.

Then some random person shouted, "Now let's get this party started!" and with that, the entire crowd of kids dispersed as they all made their way out to the tent placed behind the house.

Alice basically forced everyone out of her house, and she had a right to. I wouldn't have wanted anyone accidentally tripping over a chair and breaking an antique, or something.

And then soon it was just me, Edward, and Emmett left. Perfect opportunity, much? I wondered how I was going to do this, and I guess Edward had the same thing on his mind, as his eyes locked with mine and he raised his dark eyebrows.

I guess I was just going to have to tell my brother everything. From the start, to end. My palms started sweating once again as I walked over to them. _Deep breaths, Bella. Deep breaths. _They continued a conversation about some new car that came out recently, and I subtly approached them, making them both stop their conversation to greet me.

Then Emmett almost made me flinch uncomfortably with his next words.

"You guys haven't met yet, right? Bella, this is Edward, you know, Alice's brother? And Edward, this is my sister, Bella," Emmett motioned between the two of us, completely clueless of the fact that he wasn't providing us with any new information.

Both me and Edward looked at each other like 'uh-oh', speaking at the same time, "We actually-" and "I've already-" So this wasn't going as smoothly as I had planned.

I started, "Listen Emmett, there's something we've been meaning to tell y-"

But of course, like always, we were cut off from our explanation. I had been planning on finally telling Emmett about Edward and me, but it looked like right now wasn't going to be the best time.

Rosalie had called Emmett outside to go greet some guests, so he apologized, telling me to "hold that thought".

Then, he left us with a parting gesture, saying, "Get acquainted." Oh, if he only knew just _how_ acquainted we really were.

I admit that I was slightly disappointed that I hadn't gotten the chance to just get this entire conversation out of the way, and finally be able to kiss Edward in public without feeling like I was committing a crime. But anyway, we had the whole night at our disposal, so I guess I shouldn't have been too worried about it.

I looked up at Edward, finally greeting him properly, "Hey." I smiled, as he grinned, showing off his perfectly white teeth.

"Hey," he replied, dipping his head to kiss me on the cheek. "You look stunning," he said close to my ear, before retracting back.

I couldn't help it; my cheeks glowed a light pink. He thought I looked 'stunning'. Oh dear Lord. Could he get _any_ more amazing? What a gentleman.

I smiled, looking up at him, to see him still staring down at me, "Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself."

He chuckled at that, shaking his head at me. When he spoke up next, it was after he had looked to be deep in thought. So i assumed that what he was going to tell me next would be important. And I was right.

"What did you mean in your text? When you said something about me trying to 'dazzle' you?" Edward inquired.

I looked away, already feeling my cheeks starting to burn, "Nothing, really." But obviously, he wasn't going to let it go. Not that easily.

I felt him step closer to me until his body was only a couple of inches from mine. Then, he used his index finger to move my chin up so that I was looking up at his perfect face, specifically into his vibrant green eyes. I was already getting weak-kneed looking into their depths.

I felt my breath hitch when his lips brushed against my cheek, "Please tell me."

And that was when I just about cracked, "That. You're dazzling me right now. I can't think straight."

He pulled away from me almost immediately, his lips twitching, "What?"

Oh great, now he was going to make fun of me. I groaned, "Nevermind. Just forget I said anything. We should go outside, you know. The party seems to be getting fun," I was rambling, like I always did when I was embarrassed, or nervous, or really, any emotion.

If possible, this made Edward smile even wider, his green eyes twinkling with amusement, and another emotion which looked a lot like adoration – then again, I couldn't be sure.

As I turned around to go outside and follow the rest of the partygoers, I felt Edward's cool hand grasp my wrist, tugging me back to face him. I don't think he realized that this one action sent chills throughout my entire body – good ones, that is. I almost had to restrain myself from sighing breathlessly.

And then, as if he hadn't caught me _enough_ off-guard, he removed his hand from my wrist, instead, placing both hands on my waist. Then, he pulled me towards him - like he had been doing a lot recently - a soft smile on his face as he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Well for the record, I wasn't _trying_ to dazzle you. I meant what I said; I missed holding you like this," he whispered, making my heart beat erratically in my chest.

I couldn't control myself any longer; I leaned up, crashing my lips to his, catching him by surprise, but not so much so that he couldn't respond. Of course we kept it gentle and caring but short and sweet, in case anyone happened to walk in on us. Then we both took a few moments to gaze into each other's eyes after parting.

"You wanna head out there?" Edward nudged his head in the direction of his backyard after a minute or two. And at that, I looked towards the kids slowly piling up in the tent, and dancing to the upbeat pop music that was blasting through the speakers.

Parties really weren't my thing, but I really didn't mind going out there and dancing, just once Edward was there with me. So I nodded, "Sure." And with that, he took my hand in his, pulling me outside to the awaiting loud music. I was a bit uneasy with the hand-holding, simply because Emmett could possibly see us. But luckily, Edward realized this, as he let my hand go after giving it a squeeze.

Then we walked to the rest of our friends, dancing to some remixed version of Beauty and A Beat by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. At first, we all danced together as a group, laughing at each other's crazy dances – including Emmett's fist-pump - but as the party progressed, the music turned from dance-y to more couple-y.

So when Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice paired up into couples, Edward and I were left standing on the dancefloor awkwardly.

So, of course, Edward took that time to ask me if I wanted a drink.

Mike also took that time to ask me if I wanted to dance with him, while Tanya took that time to crash Jasper's party.

I could already tell that this party was going to be getting interesting.

* * *

**A/N: Longest chapter yet! Woo :)**

**I know I said that the whole Emmett-thing would be in this chapter… but I really felt like I had already packed so much into it. I mean, look how long it is! So I'm leaving the next chapter for all the drama. Watch out for that :p There will be some romance too, don't worry!**

**But yeah, how was it? As you can see, the last end part of the chapter was pretty rushed and kind of to-the-point, but I'm falling asleep right now. So, if anything, I'll edit that part whenever I get time. I just wanted to post something, and give you guys something to read.**

**Thoughts? Leave them in a review :)**

**P.S. I'm going to be working in my mom's store for this entire week coming, so the next chapter might come a little later than planned. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait though! Love y'all!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	15. Chapter 15

**So this story has gotten over 100 favorites, and even more follows! W-O-W! And it's not even that good… thanks guys :') **

**Thank you to: **_**FelicityA, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, lilysmily, angelmichelle (Guest), dr . meow1234, GaleLuver27, se7en29, xx It was Her xx, Atzy, Twilight RoeiSim23, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, gemma loves edward, MissMartha, romanceaholic, Sweetie7smiled, Ella1989, Rawr Olivia Grace, cardgirl91, Avery0113 **_**(you made me smile so much!),**_** DizzyIzzyCullen, mayejrmorris,**_** and 1 **_**Guest**_**.**

* * *

Chapter 15

Bella

Well wasn't this all just _lovely_? Why hadn't I realized sooner that something like this would happen? And by 'something like this', I mean: Mike bombarding me while Edward was temporarily gone, and Tanya crashing the party.

After realizing that there was no way she'd be invited to this party, it was obvious that she would decide to crash. I just wondered why I hadn't figured that out sooner. I couldn't believe how unbelievably dressed she was. Tanya's strawberry-blonde hair was in an updo, while she wore a black, tight-fitting dress that reached up to her knees. With matching stilettos, of course.

I rolled my eyes at her. I knew that when Alice spotted her, that this was not going to end well for Tanya.

I was snapped out of my thoughts, "So?" Mike inquired, baby blue eyes burning into mine. However, the sensation that came along with him looking into my eyes like that wasn't pleasant – wasn't _Edward-like_ - it was more unnerving than anything. I resisted my urge to shudder.

Gosh, he gave me the creeps.

I tried to act casual about the fact that I hadn't been paying attention to whatever boring topic Mike had been blabbering about. In fact, to be entirely honest, my attention had been focused on Tanya, who was currently talking up some senior, while Rosalie was giving her the sharpest glare I'd ever seen. She and I both wanted Tanya out of here before Alice could even see her.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that? The music's pretty loud," I spoke over the not-so-loud music making a few of the couples around me cast me weird looks. I almost giggled at myself. The things I was doing just to make Mike Newton go away.

He coughed, obviously a bit wary of my sanity. _Good_, I thought to myself, raising my eyebrows at him, in an almost challenging way. Okay, sue me for being intimidating. But I just couldn't deal with this guy anymore. He couldn't take a hint.

Mike coughed once more, speaking up, "Um, ya wanna dance? Or um… maybe even, go somewhere-a little more private?" Mike's voice lowered at the end, as he stepped closer to me, shooting me what I assumed to be a 'sultry' look. It, however, looked more like he had popped a blood vessel in his brain.

Up until then, I hadn't focused on the fact that Mike's speech was slurred. Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed that his breath smelled faintly of alcohol until he was close enough that I could practically taste it. Though that would explain the red cup in his hand containing a clear liquid. Vodka, most likely. Where the heck did he get that? I knew for a fact that Alice had prohibited alcohol specifically because she didn't want to have to deal with crazy drunk guys.

Example: Mike.

"Mike, I think-" I was cut off by the feel of his breath on my face, as he leaned closer towards me. Then, mental sirens started going off in my head when I saw his hand fumbling, reaching for my waist.

Oh no, you don't.

I pushed him forcefully away from me, "Mike."

Unsurprisingly, I wasn't getting my point across successfully. He frowned at the distance between us, stepping closer, and raising his light eyebrows at me.

"Bells, why you gotta be like that?" he slurred, grabbing my waist with much more force this time. I really didn't want to make a scene right now, but this guy was seriously pushing me over the edge. I was just about to shove him off of me and tell him off, but a moment later, I realized that it wasn't necessary.

I felt Mike being plucked away from me by his collar, and I felt the air rush out of me as my eyes met a pair of guarded-looking emerald ones. Seeing Edward's jaw locked, and his hand in a vice grip around the back of Mike's neck made my breath hitch.

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" Edward said to Mike through clenched teeth as he shoved him.

I hadn't ever seen that look on Edward's face before. And even though it wasn't directed towards me, I felt a cold chill run down my spine just looking at him.

I knew that this confrontation could turn ugly fast if I didn't step in. After all, it was because of me that this was even happening.

Even though all of the couples were enjoying their slow dance - and were too busy to notice that anything was happening between Edward and Mike - I knew that when someone started bleeding, everyone would suddenly get involved. And I absolutely did not want Edward bleeding on my watch.

Mike was cowering away from Edward's glare, thinking up some feeble excuse as to why he was putting the moves on me. Then he said something that I didn't think he meant to say, but still did. "Dude, Bella isn't even your girlfriend, right? So I'm allowed to talk to her," Mike mumbled out, making a wrong choice of words apparently. I noticed how Edward grew tense, and his hold on Mike tightened.

What was that all about?

As much as this was a major turn-on for me – seeing Edward protective like this - I needed to intervene. "Edward," I redirected his attention to me, speaking softly and gently. His head tilted down towards me, and I noticed his immediate relaxation. I pleaded with my eyes for him to let Mike go.

I wasn't doing this to protect Mike – quite the opposite. I knew that in his drunken state he could do something stupid, and I really didn't want Edward to get hurt. Even though I knew Edward could handle Mike (after all, he was _much_ taller and more built), I would've still worried had they gotten into a brawl.

Edward's shoulders slumped as he slowly let go of retriever-boy.

"I suggest that you leave. Now," Edward looked at Mike blankly, who _finally_ got the hint that he wasn't wanted here, scurrying away. He happened to spill some of his drink on Lauren – who had crashed the party with Tanya - in his hurry to the front door, causing him to get slapped ferociously.

I guess Karma really was a bitch.

Edward's attention turned towards me almost immediately, and he walked forward, closing the distance between us. "Are you okay?" he looked concerned, as if Mike had hit me with a sledgehammer. I cracked a smile at how cute he looked when he was worried – his dark brows furrowed, causing his pale forehead to crease, and his lips to turn downward into a frown.

"I'm fine," I answered, almost reaching for his hand. Then I stopped myself when I realized that Emmett was only a few feet away from us.

Edward noticed this, backing up a little but still looking worried about my health. I wanted to elaborate on the fact that I really was alright, but I couldn't at that moment because both of our heads snapped towards a loud, angry screech which had sounded on the dancefloor.

Oh, the irony. After I had just stopped a fight, another one had started.

Everyone at the party quickly started forming a circle around I-don't-know-what, causing me and Edward to look at each other. We both searched for our friends, and breathed a sigh of relief when we spotted each of them in the crowd around what I assumed to be a fight. All of them looked beyond amused at whatever was going down.

I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. I really didn't want to know what was going on, once it had nothing to do with any of the people I cared about.

"Tanya, I told you to _stay away from my boyfriend_!" I heard someone shriek, before I heard another scream.

_Ahh_, my head cleared. Tanya had once again striked and stole away someone's boyfriend, and that person clearly wasn't too happy about it.

I heard the sound of fabric ripping, and the crowd gasping.

I wanted to get out of here. This party was starting to exhaust me, and it had only begun less than half an hour ago.

Edward turned towards me, practically reading my mind, "Do you wanna go inside?" I tried not to nod too eagerly, making him smile before leading me away from the party.

* * *

He pulled me gently upstairs, and I started to feel my heartbeat accelerate as I realized that this would be the first time I was ever going into Edward's room. I had only ever been in Alice's.

Edward's room was further down the hallway from Alice's, marked with a single wooden sign spelling out his name. Nice.

He opened the door, and I tried not to act too surprised at what I saw when I entered. An entire wall to the right of his room was dedicated to books, CDs, tapes, records – you name it – while a stereo system was sat neatly next to it. His room was painted light blue, and was very spacious with its high ceiling and large windows.

A single desk containing an iMac and a few scattered books was placed to the right of his room – just a few feet away from the shelves – and was facing us, while a bed was to my left, along with a closet which was built into the left wall. There was a TV at the foot of his bed, mounted on a white, glass, shelf-looking table (I noticed a few DVDs placed in the shelves underneath the TV).

The hardwood floors were smooth and I noticed a few rugged carpets scattered about the room. Everything about this room was Edward. It complemented him.

"You like it?" I'd forgotten that he was standing right next to me as I absorbed my surroundings, and I smiled, nodding up at him. "Yeah, it's really cool," he seemed pleased at my answer, shutting the door behind him.

We were still holding hands, and I grinned when I felt him tug me towards him so that we were both face-to-face. "Are you sure you're okay? I still want to beat the crap out of Mike for touching you like that," I noted a far-away expression flash momentarily across Edward's face and I could tell that it meant that he was picturing ways he would beat up Mike for me.

My heart swelled at how caring he was.

"I'm perfectly fine," I stated calmly, trying to ease his worries. His face still remained concerned, so I decided to provide an explanation.

"He didn't do anything to me besides what you saw, and I kind of expected him to pull something like that. He's so persistent, and he just wasn't accepting the fact that he isn't my type," I let out an exasperated sigh, making Edward raise his eyebrows.

He chuckled, "And what exactly is your type, Miss Swan?"

I blushed at his choice of words, but was happy to have distracted him from being so focused on Mike.

His smile grew wider when he saw my face heat up, "Hmm, well, someone tall, incredibly handsome, smart. He has to have green eyes that I love looking into, messy bronze hair, a perfect smile, soft lips…"

I left the sentence hanging, looking up at Edward.

Then I watched as Edward's lips captured mine in the most heart-racing kiss we'd ever shared. He pulled me towards him, as close as he possibly could, so that our bodies melted into each other. My hands wound around his neck, and my fingers found their way to his always-soft, copper-toned hair.

His hands gripped my waist, occasionally fluttering up and down my torso, making me smile against his soft lips. Our lips were moving quickly against each other, as if we'd just seen each other for the first time in years.

* * *

"Did I tell you how amazing you look tonight?" he said, looking dazed as we broke away, panting. I couldn't help but giggle, and nod, pulling him in for another kiss. He gladly responded, moving his lips eagerly against mine. It was a heated, excited kiss – unlike any other one we'd ever shared. All of our other kisses were gentle and soft, and expressive. This one was equally expressive, just in a different way.

"Bella?" he asked the second time we broke away, after catching his breath.

We had moved to his bed, and I was currently sitting on his lap while his chin was resting on my shoulder. "Hmm?" I answered, a little distracted while playing with his hands, tracing the lines of his palm.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" I froze, hands still on his own. What? Had he seriously just asked that question? Or was I dreaming? I needed to say something, tell him 'Of course', but my shock overwhelmed me. He had rendered me speechless.

Edward mistook my silence for rejection, "I figured it'd be too soon to ask. I just had to, because honestly, it killed me when I couldn't oppose what Mike had said – about him being allowed to talk to you, since we're not exclusive. I understand if you want some more time, but I just –"

"Yes," I cut him off, turning in his hold to face him. My expression was serious, but I hoped that my eyes showed how excited and euphoric I felt after hearing that he wanted me to be his girlfriend.

His emerald eyes looked startled at my interruption, and I could tell that he wasn't expecting that.

"What?" he breathed, fighting back a smile – probably in case he had misheard me.

"Yes, I'd love to be your girlfriend," I stated.

"I've wanted to be your girlfriend since our first date," I couldn't hold back my smile, and neither could he.

"Really? I've wanted to be your boyfriend since the day I met you," he said, and we both couldn't contain our happiness any longer. Our lips crashed to each other, while my hands went to Edward's neck, lightly pulling him closer to me – as close as he could possibly get. He couldn't exactly move me in my position since I was sitting across his lap, but he still held onto my waist tightly.

Our lips moved rapidly against one another, in sync. At this moment, I felt like kissing Edward wasn't enough to describe how incredibly over-the-moon I was about this. My lips were already starting to feel swollen from all the kissing, but I didn't care right now. I wanted to be with my boyfriend.

My heart skipped a beat, as I had a revelation. I could finally call Edward my boyfriend. Oh my gosh. This, of course, made me smile against Edward's lips, making him smile back.

I couldn't believe that he had wanted to ask me all this time. I guess Alice and Rose had been right, after all. I had been completely wrong in thinking that he didn't want to be exclusive as yet.

I was feeling myself getting out of breath, but we both kept going, not wanting to break this moment. This _bliss._

But even though we didn't want to break away… something else did. _Someone_ else did.

It sounded like a strangled gasp, before we actually heard words, "What the _fuck_?" a voice practically growled. Oh no. No. _No._

* * *

I didn't even need to look up to see who that was. Emmett.

Emmett had caught me and Edward kissing madly _on his bed_.

A string of profanities entered my head, as me and Edward broke away from each other. This was not happening. This was not happening. I couldn't believe this was happening. This was exactly what I had wanted to avoid.

I was practically hyperventilating as me and Edward separated from each other, standing up. He saw how flustered I looked, and inconspicuously reached for my hand, rubbing soothing circles into it. They helped, if only a little.

I chanced a glance at Emmett, who was still standing by the doorway, and felt the colour immediately drain from my face. He looked _pissed. _I'd never seen him look so angry in my entire life. His face was red, borderline purple, and his hands were balled up into fists, making his already bulging muscles bulge out even more.

"I can explain," I started, but I couldn't think of anything else to say. What could I say? 'I'm sorry I'm dating your best friend'?

"You can explain? I don't even want to _hear _what you have to say. Because frankly, I don't _care_. I can't even look at you right now," Emmett stated, more like seethed. I felt a sharp prickling behind my eyes, already feeling them fill. I wasn't looking at him, but I could practically _feel_ his glare on me. And it wasn't pleasant at all.

I felt Edward go rigid beside me, and I tried to squeeze his hand and tell him that it was okay. But he wasn't going to let this one go. Not that easily.

"Emmett, you have no right to speak to her like that. I don't care if she's your sister. She doesn't deserve to be talked to like if she's committed a crime. If you wanna let your anger out, let it out on me," Edward said clearly, boldly. I tried to keep the tears at bay, but I could already feel them silently spilling out. He was standing up for me. No one had ever done anything like this for me. Oh, Edward.

Emmett obviously didn't feel the same way about Edward's actions as I did. "You're right," he simply stated, before he did something that I didn't even see coming, and neither did Edward.

But in the next instant, I heard a crack as Emmett's fist connected with Edward's jaw, causing him to lose his balance from the impact and fall back - hard. I heard a loud cry, only realizing a minute later that I was the one who had let it out.

Edward was on the floor, adjusting into a seated position, wincing slightly. I practically dropped to my knees, already seeing the tell-tale signs of a black and blue forming on his cheek.

Tears were flowing freely down my face now, and I shouted at Emmett, "How could you do this?! He's your best friend!"

Emmett just shook his head at me, "Best friends don't kiss each other's sisters behind their backs." He practically spat the words out with disgust.

Then he said, without looking at either of us, "Let's go, Bella." His face was expressionless. I felt like a snake had been wrapped around me and was just squeezing, squeezing. I was practically gasping for air.

"No, I'm not leaving," I said without looking at Emmett, my eyes trained on Edward. He wasn't saying anything, wasn't doing anything. Then he reached up and started wiping my tears away with his thumb, looking pained. As if it hurt him to see me cry. "Go," he whispered, urging me to follow Emmett out.

I shook my head, "I can't leave you like this." I tried to stop the tears, but I just couldn't. It was my fault that Emmett had gotten mad. It was my fault that Edward had gotten hurt. Things would've been so much easier if I hadn't been so scared to tell my brother what was going on. But even then, I knew that he wouldn't have wanted me and Edward to be together.

Edward smiled, squeezing my hand, before releasing it, "I'll be fine. It's just a bruise." His emerald eyes burned into mine, and I couldn't read the emotion in them. It was unfamiliar, but it gave me comfort at the same time.

I kissed his cheek gently, as if that one touch could cure all the pain I had caused. Then I looked at him one last time, "Goodbye."

He didn't say anything to that. He just looked into my eyes, as if telling me that this wasn't goodbye for him.

My heart broke with each step I took away from him. I felt numb, like the shock of this entire thing had taken over my body. I couldn't do this. I couldn't _not_ be with him.

He was my everything. Without Edward, I couldn't be complete – couldn't be _me_. But Emmett wouldn't get that. He wouldn't ever see that, and I wondered as I walked away from my everything, _what the hell was I going to do?_

* * *

**A/N: Do you guys hate me yet? I personally hated this chapter. I tried to fit sooo many things in. The part with Tanya wasn't really necessary, but I didn't want her appearance in the last chapter to be completely irrelevant, so I decided to just add in that little bit.**

**Send me your thoughts! It was so awful having Emmett punch Edward (and I'm sorry about the F-bomb) but I felt like it fit with this chapter.**

**I don't know if I'll be able to update this weekend, and I'm not going to lie, it's probably because I'll be too distracted reading an amazing series.**

**I'm sure you've probably heard of it: Night World. OMG, I just finished the first book, and I can't believe how amazing it is.**

**I have sooo many books to read, actually! But I'll definitely try to squeeze in an update in between that. The update will most likely come around the 24th or 25th of this month, so not too far away, but still.**

**This was a really hard chapter to write, so please tell me what you thought? Loved it, hated it?**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	16. Chapter 16

**First off… I am once again, soooo sorry for the late update! I had to do a final project for my civics class, and that just took me forever :/ *sigh* plus I had a bunch of tests, and I am just SO SORRY that I took like a month to update. **

**Hopefully this chapter turns out alright :s**

**Thank you to: **_**MaryE1980, FelicityA, **__**SelenaQuintanillaLOVER**__**, **__**SweettFace, vampdreams, angelmichelle (Guest), romanceaholic, Twilight RoeiSim23, MissMartha, Marie Cullen 12, touraii, ThereAreMuchWorseGamesToPlay , Atzy, Avery0113, RoseNEmmettForever, Rawr Olivia Grace, lilysmily, mayejrmorris, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, dr . meow1234, Far-Longer-Than-Forever**_**, and **_**GaleLuver27**_**, for reviewing. **

**300 REVIEWS GUYS! I completely don't deserve it, but thank you so much :)**

**P.S. this chapter goes from Emmett's to Edward's Point of View!**

* * *

Chapter 16

Emmett

I couldn't think straight. Not now. I mean, how could I?

It was an astonishing feeling, really, believing that I had known a person – or rather, people - front and back, only to be slapped in the face with the realization that I apparently hadn't.

My best friend, and my sister. Edward, and Bella.

No matter how many times I repeated the phrase in my head, it still seemed to sound foreign, almost laughable.

But it wasn't – it was the cold, hard truth.

My best friend had kissed my sister, and I had seen the whole thing. A shudder ran through my body, the memory of my sister, my little sister – who up until this point, I had thought was a saint - sitting on top of Edward's lap, lips attached to his.

I tried not to groan out in disgust, covering my eyes with my hands.

It was Saturday night, and I had just driven Bella home with me from Jasper's party.

The ride back had been engulfed in silence, so quiet, it was almost deafening. The tension was so tangible that I could practically cut it with a knife - my hands had been gripping the wheel of my Jeep Wrangler, still roiling over what I had just witnessed, while Bella had been looking out the window as if I'd just shot her dog.

Which I guess I technically had - unintentionally.

I hadn't meant to hit Edward. Honestly. But with the image of the two of them kissing the life out of each other still imprinted in my mind, I had felt a overwhelmingly deep surge of anger at Edward, and protectiveness for my sister.

When I had walked in on… _them,_ I couldn't believe my eyes. At first, I had thought Edward was making out with some random girl, and I had been completely shocked – because he just wasn't that kind of guy. He never seemed interested in anyone.

And then when I realized that the girl on top of him was _Bella,_ I had felt like the air had been sucked out my lungs. A million and one thoughts and feelings had rushed through me, and I felt like my body had just been placed into an ice box.

Then, my adrenaline just seemed to kick in, and words were spewing from my mouth before I could even think about what I was actually saying.

And then Edward's words just seemed to push me over the edge – berating me for the way I was talking to _my _sister, and then basically _asking_ me to punch him.

Why did he have to be such an idiot? Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut, and given me time to calm down? He could've easily avoided being knocked down like that. I was pretty sure that punch had hurt a whole lot for him, even though he'd put on a calm façade.

And Bella. I felt so stupid for being such an ass to her. But I mean, how was I supposed to react? I hadn't known what was going on. I was so confused, and startled.

I still am, not to mention pretty enraged.

I mean, were they just making out for the hell of it, that one time? Gosh I would kill Edward if that was the case.

Or had they already been seeing each other behind my back? I felt a sharp sting of betrayal and hurt at that thought. I'll admit it; I had been blinded by my fury and shock at the two of them, but really… was my reasoning for talking and acting the way I did _that _wrong? Sure, I did go a bit overboard with my words and actions, but could you really blame me?

Couldn't I have a moment to be irate over the fact that they had kept something this huge from me? I was Edward's best friend, and Bella's brother. They were _supposed_ to tell me these kinds of things; yet they hadn't.

Okay, I wasn't exactly _thrilled_ at the fact that my sister was dating someone, simply because I'd never seen her with anyone before - let along kissing them - and I really hadn't wanted to.

She was my little sister; I still thought of her as a little girl who would always need her big brother to help her.

But I guess, I couldn't always think of her that way. We were both growing up, and I really couldn't be a hypocrite and not let her date someone, when I was in a relationship myself.

My head fell against my pillow as I let out a loud sigh.

I pulled out my phone, getting off the bed and punching in a number which I had dialed so many times before, that I now knew it by heart. Hitting the 'send' button, I started to pace the long bedroom as I heard the '_ring, ring'_ of the dial tone coming through the handset. This was all done while I frantically ran my hands through my curly, dark brown hair.

"Em? What happened?" Rosalie picked up on the third ring, sounding worried.

I had basically run out of Jasper's party, after all – not telling anyone what had happened or that I was even leaving.

"Babe, I need to see you," I let out a loud breath, already feeling myself relax. She would know what to do about this whole situation.

But I also knew that calling, and explaining everything to her would come with a price. She was definitely going to chew my ear off for overreacting like that.

But hey, it was worth it. Her cruelty was one of the things I loved about her. And she would help me try to understand Bella and Edward's perspective – because I sure as hell didn't – and hopefully they'd understand mine.

Then, we'd get this whole situation solved.

But of course, solving a problem as big as this would take a little bit _more _than five seconds.

* * *

Edward

I had stayed up in my room for the remainder of the party, and thankfully, no one came to look for me. I had been debating on whether I should call Bella, or not. I didn't want to speak to her while Emmett was right with her, in case he blew up once again, making him snatch her phone away from her and throw it out the window.

Hey, don't judge me. Anything was possible at this point.

I hadn't ever expected Emmett Swan to punch me. Emmett, the big, burly guy who I'd known for months; that seemed intimidating and scary at first, but once you got to know him, was as harmless as a teddy bear. I guess that had been a poor judgment statement on my part.

But then again, I couldn't really say that Emmett was a different person just because he'd hit me. I mean, putting myself in his shoes for a moment, I could definitely understand what sort of feelings had compelled him to make such a rash decision; anger, frustration, betrayal, confusion, shock. But, the question was, did he still feel to throw some more right hooks at me now? Or did he regret doing what he had done?

That was what was important. It didn't matter what he'd just done – no matter how stupid, and kind of painful it was. What mattered was how he felt right now. Did he still hate us?

I sighed, putting my face in my hands, then wincing after realizing that my left cheek was still pretty sore. It shouldn't have really surprised me, but Emmett sure knew how to throw a good punch.

I hadn't yet looked at the damage he'd done in the mirror, too preoccupied with other, more pressing matters at hand. For example: how my girlfriend was handling all of this. The new, unfamiliar word seemed to bounce around in my head, until it kind of sunk in.

My girlfriend. Bella was my girlfriend.

I exhaled, seeming to snap out of all of my previous daydreaming and pondering, feeling a new sense of confidence and possessiveness wash over me. Boyfriends weren't supposed to be moping around, wondering how to fix their friendships – or if their friendships could even be fixed at all. They should be worrying about their girlfriends, making sure they're alright.

Frankly, I couldn't care less whether Emmett was there or not, hearing our conversation. I needed to hear Bella's voice right now. From there, we'd figure things out.

I unlocked my phone, dialing in Bella's number, hearing it ring at least five times, before going straight to voicemail. Huh. That was weird. I decided to try again.

And again.

And again.

Until my head got dizzy from hearing all of those annoying rings.

I told myself that she was okay. That she was watching TV or something – and _not_ crying her eyes out like she'd been doing when she'd been forced to leave my room. I forced myself not to think about it; not to think about how painful it'd been to watch tears streaming down her face, her eyes – her beautiful chocolate brown eyes which I was always used to seeing filled with happiness and excitement instead filled with sorrow and hurt - and a frown fixed across her plump, red lips.

It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. I couldn't do anything, I couldn't comfort her. Because I was the one who had caused her all this pain. If it weren't for me, Emmett wouldn't have screamed at her, or punched me, or made her cry.

I wasn't worth her tears.

I didn't ever want to make her cry again.

I realized with a jolt that the only way I could do that would be by confronting Emmett and explaining everything to him, trying to make him understand why we'd done what we'd done. I didn't want Bella involved, because even though it was between me and her, and Emmett, she didn't need any extra stress to deal with right now.

I had to do this for her.

Just for old time's sake, I tried dialing Bella's phone once more, silently praying she'd pick up. But then I almost hung up after a sudden realization hit me: what if she was avoiding me?

I mean, _I_ knew I wasn't worth her pain, but maybe she'd realized that too. Even though the thought made sense mentally, it crushed me emotionally: Bella and I breaking up, when we'd just officially gotten together. As much as breaking up with me would be the logical thing for her to do at this point, I didn't want to let her go. Ever. It was incredibly selfish of me to say, but it was true.

All thoughts erased from my mind as I heard a voice that sounded groggy but still undeniably melodious, float out of the other end of the phone, "Hi." She sounded shy, as if she was being careful about what she was saying.

"Hey... Is Emmett nearby?" I inquired, suspecting that he was, considering her tone of voice.

However, she surprised me when she answered, "No, he went to see Rosalie, I think." Still timid, as if talking to a child who'd just thrown a temper tantrum.

I was just opening my mouth to ask her how she was feeling, but she beat me to it. That made me smile, "I'm completely fine. It doesn't even feel like I got hurt... Please stop worrying about me." I almost begged at the end, still smiling at how kindhearted she was. She shouldn't be worried about me; I should be worried about her.

"_I_ just wanna know if you're alright. What am I saying? I _know_ you're not alright. But I wish you were... I wish we could go back to yesterday morning, when this all hadn't happened. I just want to make things better," I sighed, explaining my thought process, and making her breathe what sounded like a sigh of…relief?

"Do you really mean that?" she sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. Oh crap. No, I'd made her cry, just when I'd mentally vowed specifically _not_ to do that. _Good going, Edward. Really_, I thought to myself sarcastically.

"I'm sorry… I'm making you upset. Please, don't cry. I don't want to be the reason for your tears. I never want to be the reason for them," I breathed out, already feeling my heart ache, just visualizing Bella looking hurt.

She rushed in, "No, I'm not crying. I just… you made me happy. That's all. They were happy tears." She laughed a little at the end, making my lips stretch upwards into a small smile.

"Why'd I make you happy?" I asked, wanting to know what I'd said to cause her to stop acting so closed-off.

"I just needed to be reassured that this is what you still wanted…. That _I_ was still what you wanted. Edward, I don't want you to feel obligated to stay with me, right now. You have a reason to break up with me. Things are so complicated, I-"

I didn't need to hear more – I didn't _want_ to hear more. "Bella, _please_. Stop. How could you even, for a second, think that I was ever leaving you?"

I didn't wait to hear her answer, continuing, "I'm crazy about you… that's kind of why I asked you to be my girlfriend, remember? I don't want to be with anyone else but you. Drama, or no drama. You're where I want to be," gosh I hoped I hadn't taken it too far with that last comment.

But hey, it was the truth. I was seriously falling deep for this girl. I'd do anything for her.

I heard Bella almost let out a breathy sigh, and I tried to hide my sheepish grin, "Okay… and for the record, Edward? You're where I want to be, too. I know that we'll get through this. We just have to."

I didn't miss a beat, "We will, I promise. And I'm not one to break promises." I said it with every bit of honesty that I could muster. I knew she needed to hear this. We both did.

We talked a little bit after that, about totally unrelated, unserious topics, occasionally slipping in comments like "I wish you were here" or "I miss you" or "Do you I ever tell you how amazing you are?"

Then I ended the conversation after hearing Bella yawn, glancing at the clock. It was already 3 a.m.

We'd spent over 2 hours talking animatedly on the phone, when it had only felt like a few minutes. Jasper's party had ended around 11 p.m. and the after-party sleepover was over at his house, so his close friends had left to go over there. I'd made up some lame excuse when they'd asked if I was coming, saying that I was feeling too sleepy to do anything.

That had been a lie, of course. I was wide awake. But I hadn't wanted anyone to see my bruised face. I wasn't ready to tell anyone what had happened.

Bella and I bid our farewells to each other, and I almost didn't want to let her go. But I knew she had to get her sleep, and so did I, actually. It felt odd, just saying goodbye to her. After everything that had happened, 'Goodbye' felt insufficient. It didn't describe anything about our feelings for one another.

I felt like something was missing – like something was bubbling on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't seem to get it out.

I shook my head, switching off my lamp, and resting my head against my pillow. Hopefully I'd figure it out soon enough.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Finally! I can't say how sorry I am for the late, and kinda crappy update. It was more of an explanatory one. Not really interesting. Hopefully things will get a little interesting next chapter ;)**

**But anyway, for now, please leave me some thoughts :D reviews are simply lovely… always the way to go!**

**Love yall!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you to: **_**Far-Longer-Than-Forever, HydraDrawer (Guest), lilysmily, Avery0113, touraii, GaleLuver27, romanceaholic, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, SelenaQuintanillaLOVER, Rawr Olivia Grace, dr . meow1234, MissMartha, Twilight RoeiSim23, angelmichelle (Guest), se7en29 (Guest), MaryE1980, **_**and **_**mayejrmorris**_**, for reviewing!**

**This chapter goes from Emmett's to Bella's Point of view :)**

* * *

Chapter 17

Emmett

_Ring. Ring. Ring. _I groaned aloud, covering my ears with one of the pillows on my bed, trying to block out the annoying sound of my phone. I waited patiently for the call to be sent to voicemail, before removing the pillow from my face, then trying to fall back into a dreamless sleep.

But of course, I was rendered unable to go back to sleep. _Great._

Nothing had been going right for the past few days, so why would things suddenly change now? I shook my head, mussing up my hair before going downstairs to have a quick bite of food.

I was still in a daze from the events that had played out last night. After calling Rosalie, I had decided to go over to Jasper's after-party sleepover to meet her. I had been so confused; my mind had still been muddled with thoughts about what I was going to do about this whole Bella-Edward situation, and how the hell I was going to rectify the mess I'd made. But after going there and having Rose calm me down – like she always does – I could finally see some sort of light at the end of the tunnel.

_Flashback:_

_Walking into Jasper's house, I walked straight towards Rose, suddenly feeling everyone in the room's eyes on me. I basically had to force myself to refrain from telling them all to mind their own business._

_I couldn't tell what Rosalie was feeling towards me… anger, confusion, worry? Her stormy grey eyes, calm and collected when she was in a good mood, were now fiery and hard, burning into mine. _Great, _I thought to myself. I was definitely in for it this time. Rosalie and I had only had a few big spats as a couple – with her always winning in the end, obviously - but she had never looked this pissed off before._

_No amount of deep breaths was going to be able to prepare me for what was going to come. _You really did it this time, Emmett.

_Rosalie stood up, almost making me drool when I once again took in her appearance. Her off-the-shoulder shirt was basically driving me crazy._

_Clearing her throat, she turned to address our little 'audience', excusing both me and herself. Alice and Jasper looked slightly worried, raising their eyebrows questioningly at me, so I quickly mouthed the words, "Explain later" to them, trailing behind Rose._

_We soon entered an empty guest bedroom on the second floor, and, pushing my luck, I pulled her towards me, pressing my lips to hers in a deep kiss. Hey, I was having a bad day. A kiss from Rosalie would certainly turn this whole thing around._

_But as I previously stated, I was pushing my luck, so I really shouldn't have been surprised when she pushed me off of her, wagging her index finger at me, a slightly playful glint in her eye._

"_Uh uh. Do you really expect a kiss from me? I don't think so. I still cannot _believe_ what you did, Emmett Swan! Are you out of your mind? Do you even understand how awful Bella and Edward must be feeling right about now? Huh? Do you?" all humour previously present in her eyes was now erased, replaced with a look of dead seriousness._

_I started stuttering, flustered with all of the questions she was throwing my way, "Babe, please. Put yourself in my shoes. They kept their entire relationship from me. How do you think that makes me feel?"_

_I stepped towards her, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't step back away from me._

_Rosalie shook her head, her shiny, blond waves of hair glinting in the room's lighting, "I get it, Em. I really do. I would've been just as confused and shocked, not to mention pissed, as you. But you have to realize that there are limits, and you crossed a million of them by screaming at Bella and hitting Edward."_

_Her beautiful grey eyes softened after seeing my expression change from defensive to guilty._

"_Rose, I know. And I feel like crap for doing and saying the things I said. But, they also crossed some lines too. Lying to me, betraying me," I explained, once again feeling my anger bubbling up towards the surface._

"_Maybe you're seeing this all wrong," her voice was earnest, as she tried to get me to see her perspective._

_I simply shook my head, crinkling my eyebrows, perplexed as to where she was going with this._

_Rosalie sighed, "Why do you think they lied to you in the first place? Em, you can be really intense and protective sometimes. Maybe they thought that you wouldn't like the idea of them dating, so they just decided to keep it a secret for a while. I'm sure that they would've told you when the time was right."_

_If possible, my brain became even more fuzzy with this newfound possibility. "So you're saying that this all my fault?" I couldn't control the slight sharpness out of my tone, making Rosalie roll her eyes._

"_No, I'm just saying that both of you are at fault, so you should just call a truce already, and apologize to one another. I don't want this to go on for much longer, or ruin the relationship you have with the both of them," Rosalie reached up, cupping my cheek, forcing me to look into her eyes._

_And once again, she had won the fight. Heck, she'd won the whole war._

_She'd gotten me to step out of my bubble and realize that Bella and Edward probably had a reason for doing all of this. But I needed to hear it from them, what their reason was exactly._

_I breathed out, "Okay. I'll talk to them tomorrow. But, for now…"_

_My expression transformed from somber to sly, as I once again pulled Rosalie towards me, making her grin._

_End Flashback_

I blinked, already feeling myself smirk as I delved deeper into that particular part of last night's events. But then my phone once again started ringing, snapping me out of my Rosalie-related fantasizing.

Checking the caller ID, I let out a chortle, "I was just thinking about you."

I could basically hear the smile in her voice as she answered with a, "Hmm… really?" She was being her usual seductive self, something I could never get tired of. Ever.

We continued our back and forth banter, only stopping when she reminded me that I needed to fix the whole Bella-Edward thing and talk to them A.S.A.P. Of course, she left me no choice but to disconnect the phone, saying a quick "I love you" before wandering over to Bella's room, a floor above me.

It was weird, I never felt nervous or anxious or antsy when going over to my sister's room, but this time I did. It felt as if I was going to knock on a stranger's door, a stranger who was staying at my house. I had no idea how the hell I was going to confront her. I didn't even know if she was asleep or awake.

Once again, a series of question swarmed through my mind, making me dizzy to the core. After a few minutes of just standing outside her bare, white-painted bedroom door, I gave a loud rap on the door.

* * *

Bella

I hadn't been able to go to sleep that Saturday night after my phone call with Edward. I just couldn't. Of course, I had been sleepy beyond belief, but my mind was racing so much that I just couldn't seem to close my eyes and get a good wink in.

It didn't matter that Edward had told me repeatedly that it was absolutely not my fault that my brother had thrown a fit. I still felt wholly responsible for this entire thing – this entire, irrelevant mess which could've easily been avoided had I been a little more brave and told my brother about everything when I needed to.

I just wanted to fix it. Fix the undeniable hurt, dissonance, and confusion I had caused.

But how?

I didn't know how Emmett would react if I asked to talk to him. I mean, sure, I knew he still loved me because I was his sister. But, I wasn't sure if he still liked me, or wanted to even carry a conversation with me. The image of his angry and shocked face - dark brown eyes so similar to mine broadcasting the betrayal he had felt at that moment - was forever stuck in my head. I was sure he still hated me for everything I had unintentionally caused.

I felt a sob in my throat - thinking about all of this was making me feel so overwhelmed. I wondered if this whole thing would affect everything - my friends, my family. What if Emmett never spoke to me again? Whose side would they choose? His or mine?

I didn't want them to choose sides, I didn't want this to become some kind of battle. I just wanted this to all be in the past, some small misunderstanding that we could all laugh about in a few months. But who was I kidding? Things weren't that simple in real life.

Before I could allow the tears to spill out from my eyes, I heard a loud knock on the door to my bedroom. I felt myself unconsciously freeze, gasping softly. The only person I knew with such heavy hands, who just couldn't ever do anything quietly no matter how hard he tried, was Emmett. Upon looking out my window, I noticed that both of my parents' cars were missing from the driveway. So even if there had been a slight feeling that it was one of my them knocking, it was gone.

"Come in," I called, my voice shaking slightly. Subtly wiping away some stray tears, and making my hair look presentable, I felt myself feeling not only confused, but scared. What if he just wanted to scream at me some more?

I quickly brushed off that possibility, knowing that Emmett wasn't that kind of person. Although I had seen some pretty nasty stuff from him last night, I knew that he was still Emmett – protective, caring, sweet Emmett.

If he hated someone – cough me cough- he just simply wouldn't pay them any attention. After yelling at them once, he'd leave it be.

I looked towards him as he stood awkwardly by the doorjamb. That made me frown slightly. Since when did he stop bounding into my room as if it were his own? Oh _right._ Since I lied to him.

"Hey," he said softly, cautiously, eyes flickering to different parts of my face. Then they rested on my own, brown eyes which I was certain were bloodshot from all the crying. And then _he_ began to frown.

"Hi," I stated briefly, before looking away, basically anywhere _except _his face.

I heard his footsteps pad loudly – as I said before, he couldn't do _anything _quietly - towards my king-sized bed, before he sat down at the edge, as far away from me as he could get. Again, his actions were slow and wary, as if I were a mental patient, or a lion he didn't want to wake up.

I heard his loud intake of breath, making me look up at him as he began to speak, "I, um. I was wondering if I could talk to you. You and, um, Edward, I mean."

Whoa, I had not seen that one coming. Say what?

I almost choked on air, "What?" I voiced my thoughts.

This made him smile slightly, but not as wide or bright as I was used to seeing him smile.

"I really wanna leave all the talking for when you and Edward are both here. But the gist of it is that I want to hear your side of the story, but I also want you to hear mine," he explained, nodding towards me.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in, gaping at him like a fish out of water. I hadn't expected him to want to 'talk' so quickly. I don't know, but I had had a feeling that this whole debacle would go on for much longer. I guess that was one of the perks of being a pessimist – when something great happened, it wasn't just great… it was freaking amazing.

"Okay, I'll call him over," I said, almost breathily, still in shock as to what was happening before my eyes.

Well wasn't this going to be interesting….

* * *

Emmett left my room not long after our little chat, stating that he was going to finish off some homework, then take a quick shower.

Dialing Edward's number, he picked up on the first ring. I forced myself not to let out a giggle at his blatant expectancy.

"Hey," Edward answered, effortlessly smooth.

"Hi," I laughed a little, but it wasn't a 'ha-ha-oh-my-gosh-how-funny' laugh. It was a laugh that sounded more along the lines of 'oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-what-just-happened'.

Edward picked up on it immediately, "What's wrong, Bella?"

Was it weird that hearing him say my name _still _caused butterflies to flutter around in my stomach? Slightly?

"No, it's nothing bad, I hope. Emmett wants to talk… to both of us. So I was wondering if you wanted to come over…? I mean, if you want. I understand completely if you don't wanna see him, or something…" I trailed off, realizing that I was blabbering on and on, something I always did when I was anxious.

I heard Edward chuckle on the other line – music to my ears – as he interrupted me, "And pass up an opportunity to see my beautiful girlfriend? Naw, I don't think so. I'll be right over."

He hung up before I could have time to respond, or even process his words. But when I eventually did, my cheeks were practically crimson.

* * *

I had showered and gotten dressed in five minutes flat, pulling on a pair of shorts and a tank top. The doorbell rang as soon as I was pulling over my tank top, and I practically ran downstairs, taking two steps at a time – risky business, don't ever try it - to answer the door. I was panting by the time I unlocked the door, and I didn't even have time to give Edward a good look-over before he enveloped me in a warm embrace.

Okay, eager much?

I felt the corners of my lips tug upwards as I wrapped my arms around his waist, welcoming his surprising action as I buried my face into his chest and inhaled his never-changing honey and lilac scent. I felt him nuzzle his face into my neck, causing my smile to grow even wider – as if _that _were even possible.

But just as I was starting to get cozy, a sudden realization struck me, and I pulled away, gasping even though I had already known what I was going to see. Edward's jaw was swollen, and looking a deep purplish blue colour. Almost sickly.

He looked away, at once noticing what I was looking at, and before he could say anything, I quickly supplied, "I'll go get an ice-pack."

Just as I spun on my heels to dash to the kitchen, I felt Edward gently grasp my wrist, preventing me from making any further moves.

"Wait," he said softly, causing me to turn around expectantly.

I looked up, "What?"

"There's something I didn't get to do yet," and then he pulled me towards him so that I practically rammed into him, chuckling softly before winding his arms around my waist. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as he captured my lips in his, moving slowly as I began to respond.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me, while also being mindful of his bruised jaw. That was quite a feat to do.

It was weird, kissing him after all that had ensued.

But in a way, I felt impossibly closer to him.

Pulling away from him and catching my breath, I smiled, tugging him towards the kitchen as I got him a gel ice pack.

I planned on just handing it to him, and letting him hold it against the sore spot himself. But since when has my plan been the same as his?

He moved my hand so that_ I_ was the one applying the ice pack to his jaw instead of him.

I flinched as he winced at the cool contact, making me immediately attempt to retract my arm. But he had already foreseen that, and using his hand, he kept my arm firmly in place.

"It doesn't hurt, I promise. It was just surprisingly cold," Edward chuckled lightly, reassuring me.

I stared at him for a good few minutes, looking from his eyes to his jaw, starting to feel my eyes prickle. I didn't want him to forgive me for this. He shouldn't have been trying to make_ me_ feel better when I was the one who had brought this onto him.

I looked again into his eyes, trying to express my sorrow as much as possible, "I'm so sorry, Edward. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Please stop-"

He cut me off, "No, we're not having this conversation again, Bella. I already told you that this is not your fault, and that I don't regret anything. I haven't regretted anything. Not even for a second. I want you, I _need _you in my life. I don't even know how I survived without you before this." Edward's tone grew soft towards the end, his green eyes burning into mine with a blazing passion that I hadn't ever seen before.

I would've dropped the ice pack in surprise had Edward's hand not been attached to my own.

We both snapped our heads towards the kitchen doorway, hearing the loud clearing of someone's throat, just as I was about to respond to Edward's over-the-top comment.

Emmett looked a cross between uncomfortable and amused, like if he couldn't decide which, before he simply began, "Alright, so you guys ready to talk?"

* * *

**A/N: I am SO SORRY I didn't make this chapter longer. I'm leaving to go on vacation for a week, starting tomorrow morning. So I'm pretty exhausted.**

**I know, it was kinda bleh and repetitive, but I'm just trying to get everyone's side of the whole situation in. I'm sorry if it's a little boring. Trust me, things will spice up soon. I'm thinking that this story is going to be longer than I expected ;)**

**I wanted to get the whole Emmett-Edward-Bella conversation in, but UGH, I'm falling asleep :( but I hope that I'll get the next chapter out next week. I don't wanna have you guys waiting too long!**

**Please drop me a review or two, they're greatly appreciated!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	18. Chapter 18

**Aww! So many of you loved Rose and Emmett! :')**

**Thank you to: ****_MaryE1980, 24BookWorm94, Lovetwilight1234, Twilight RoeiSim23, gossipgracey, angelmichelle (Guest), mayejrmorris, FelicityA, MissMartha, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, jasminwilson12, RoseNEmmettForever, vampdreams, se7en29, HydraDrawer (Guest), Rawr Olivia Grace, touraii, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, cardgirl91, romanceaholic, GaleLuver27, grisAliceCullenSwan_****, and ****_Avery0113_****, for reviewing :) **

**Now onto chapter 18! Wow, I can't believe how far this story has come already :O Soon we'll be up to chapter 20... Crazy!**

* * *

Chapter 18

Bella

After our slightly awkward interruption from Emmett, both me and Edward took a seat around the kitchen table, following my brother. The three of us all stared wordlessly at each other for a good while, simply waiting for someone to break the silence.

Then, Edward reached for my hand under the table, squeezing it. And with that simple action, I felt like a weight was slowly being lifted off of my shoulders. I felt at ease, and my anxiety and awkwardness slipped away, causing me to smile at nothing in particular.

I tried not to think about how Edward holding my hand could alter my mood so drastically. It was scary, actually.

Emmett once again cleared his throat, "I don't how I should start this, honestly." He sighed, then coughed, looking from me to Edward, eyes flickering momentarily to Edward's bruised jaw.

I guess that seeing Edward's injury seemed to trigger something in him, because in the next moment, he was saying, "I guess I should start with: I'm sorry. I really am. I, um - I shouldn't have confronted you both the way I did. But at the same time, I hope you guys understand where I was coming from," I looked down as Emmett said this, intertwining my fingers with Edward's.

"We do," I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but unfortunately by the time I looked up, I noted both my boyfriend's and my brother's eyes on me, realizing that it was too late for me to take it back. So instead, I clarified. "I mean, we know why you did what you did. Thank you for apologizing." I nodded towards Emmett, wondering whether or not I should say more.

Then after yet another everlasting moment of tense-filled silence, I decided 'well you know what they say - go big, or go home, Bella'.

Pursing my lips, I took a deep breath before speaking, "I'm sorry, as well. I shouldn't have kept something this huge from you, but I did. And I can't take it back now, even if I wanted to.

"But one thing that I just have to say though, is that: Edward didn't deserve what you did to him, not even a little. Because he wasn't doing anything wrong. _I _was the one who asked him not to tell you about this - us. At least, not until we knew where exactly this was going."

I felt Edward go rigid beside me, clearly not appreciating the fact that I was taking the blame off of him.

I simply squeezed his hand. He really didn't deserve to be punished for any of this – I was the one completely at fault, dragging him into this whole mess.

But before Edward could interrupt and defend me – like I knew he would since that was just the kind of person he was – my brother cut in, "And where exactly _is _this going?" He motioned to the both of us with his hands, referring to the last statement that I had made.

My cheeks heated up in embarrassment, wondering why that had been the_ one_ thing from my mini speech that had stuck in his head and not _anything_ else. Looking up at Edward, I noticed him smiling nervously, but sheepishly down at me.

"Um, well we made this official last night. I asked Bella to be my girlfriend, and she said yes," the most beautiful smile appeared on his face right then, completely matching my own toothy grin. Every time I heard him call me his girlfriend, or vice versa, I simply felt on top of the world. I couldn't believe that someone so perfect wanted to be my boyfriend, but I was seriously enjoying every minute of it.

Obviously, Emmett did _not _participate in this moment of happiness with us. His face was an emotionless mask, and moments later, he put his hand over his mouth as if he were deep in thought - either that or trying hard not the scream. I hoped desperately that it wasn't the latter.

"I just need a minute," Emmett pardoned his lack of response, before he finally continued with, "How long have you both been… you know, together?" He looked curious, but cautious as he asked this, probably preparing himself for the worst.

I wondered how I was going to word the answer to his question, staying quiet for a few seconds. If I said that we'd been together for a while, then Emmett would probably feel even more hurt that we'd lied to him for so long. But if I made it seem like Edward and I had only been together for a short period of time, then he'd question whether we were moving too fast by becoming an official couple already. "A week, and a few days. Honestly, we haven't been keeping this a secret for that long, and it's not like we were never going to tell you..."

Edward inputted, "As a matter of fact, we _tried_ telling you last night. You know, when you introduced me and Bella to each other. But then Rose called you off, and, well. After that, it didn't seem like the right moment to tell you." We both gauged Emmett's reaction. He looked like he was trying hard to remain quiet, and after a few minutes, he nodded in understanding, accepting our answers.

"But…_why_? That's the big question… the question I've honestly been dying to receive the answer to. _Why did you keep it a secret_?" as Emmett asked this, he only looked at me. After all, I had kind of pinned the whole thing on myself. _Good one, Bella_.

I bit my lip – more like gnawed on it - just wanting to get this whole thing over with, but at the same time, needing a minute or two to gather my thoughts.

"Because you're you, Em. Every single time a guy asked me out, you'd always advise me to decline their offers. I would've told you about Edward -and I'm really sorry I didn't - but I didn't think you'd approve. I just assumed that you'd never accept the guy that I liked, no matter who he was. I mean, you make it seem like no one will ever be good enough for me," I breathed, my voice rising a little at the end.

I couldn't help it. Finally letting this all out was really affecting my emotional state of mind.

Emmett just leaned back in his chair, stock-still, opening and closing his mouth as if he wanted to speak but at the same time, no words seemed to be coming out. I thought I heard him mumble a, "She was right," under his breath, before he looked straight into my eyes. It seemed like he was looking for some clarity and truth to my words, and after a while, he simply shut his eyelids, clearly finding it.

He coughed in discomfort, momentarily looking from Edward to me, sighing, "Okay, I get it – I really do. But at the same time, do you understand how fucked up that is, Bella? That you're basically blaming this whole thing on me?"

I didn't get time to interject or defend myself on that matter, because in that moment, Edward spoke, clearly trying to control his anger.

"Emmett, _don't_. Don't talk to her like that. She hasn't done anything wrong. You and I both know that she's not blaming you for anything."

I shut my eyes, already visualizing what was going to come as my brother's jaw clenched, "Don't tell me what to do, Edward. I'm her brother, remember? I think that _kind of_ beats boyfriend, don't you?" he said sardonically, and I pictured him tilting his head to the side.

"'She hasn't done anything wrong'? Tell me, Edward. How would you feel if you found out that your sister was dating your best friend, _behind your back_?" he enunciated the last words.

"Not great, but I would get over it – especially after hearing that she had good reason to. Look, if you can't see it already, Bella was scared to tell you about our relationship because she knew you'd freak out, which you kind of did. Okay, maybe looking back on it, we didn't go about this entirely the right way. But what's done is done. You can either accept what we did, and move on. Or you can hold this against us for the rest of our lives," Edward stated, making my eyes fly open, and my jaw hit the floor – metaphorically speaking, of course.

"But for Bella's sake, I hope that we can get over this. Because I know that she wouldn't forgive herself if you both couldn't go back to being the same. And I don't want her having that burden on her shoulders," Edward's tone was bold and final as he stared down Emmett, who simply sat back in his chair, looking like Edward had just slapped him in the face.

You don't even understand how badly I wanted to kiss him right there and then for standing up for me like that, and managing to leave Emmett speechless.

But obviously, I had to control my emotions, because it wasn't exactly the time and place for me to make-out with my boyfriend. Yeah… probably not.

Edward looked calm, looking at Emmett almost as if asking my brother to challenge his opinion. I, on the other hand, was looking anywhere _but_ at Emmett for fear that he actually _would_ challenge Edward.

Then, after what felt like centuries, or even millennia, Emmett broke the stare-off between him and Edward, "You have a lot of courage saying that to me, Edward." Uh oh.

"But I respect you for it," Emmett continued, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips, and making me breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, sighing, Emmett's entire demeanor just _changed_. He was no longer uptight and serious, but more exhausted and ready to just give up. I guess he was just as affected by all of this as I was.

In the next moment, it was like the heavens opened up as Emmett spoke up once again, "I'll try. I'll try to forgive you – both of you - and I guess I'll also try not to be so protective of you…" He said the last part to me obviously, and I don't know what happened, but I felt like I could finally _breathe._ Like the stress and nervousness I'd been feeling for the past week or so was just… _gone_.

"I mean, if I didn't accept you dating Edward, then that would be a little hypocritical - seeing as you accept me and Rosalie together…" he shook his head before continuing, "And I guess Edward's alright. He's definitely the least repulsive person you could be with."

Then he cracked a grin, laughing a little, and I don't know, I guess I was so happy that this was over with that I couldn't control my elation. I literally jumped out of my seat, tackling Emmett in one of his signature bear hugs, getting a little teary-eyed when he actually hugged me back.

I mean, I just couldn't believe how well this had all finally worked out. For a split second there, I had thought that Emmett wouldn't ever get over this, or let us live through this happily. But I thanked God that he was going to try to get over this. That was all I needed – for him to try.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, not needing to expand on his apology – because I already _knew_ what he was sorry for - making me smile. I only allowed a single tear of joy and relief to spill out – but quickly wiped it away - while still hugging him.

"I'm sorry too," I whispered back, squeezing him tighter, before we both released each other.

Looking towards Edward, I saw him genuinely smiling at both of us. I guess he always knew that things would work out in the end. This was just such a stupid thing for all of us to get worked up about - things just _had_ to work out.

And they did.

* * *

Soon after our whole big conversation at the kitchen table, we all moved over to the living room where we just lounged around. Edward and I were sitting on one of the black leather loveseats, as close to each other as we could get without touching.

We had just figured that it'd be more respectful to Emmett if we didn't show too much PDA. After all, he had just kind of accepted the whole 'me-and-Edward-being-a-couple' thing, so we didn't think that rubbing it in his face would be the smartest thing to do at this point.

We were all just talking about the most random of things, focusing on light topics after everything that had happened today. Well at least we had been, until Emmett wondered aloud:

"So Edward, is Bella your first girlfriend?" his eyebrows were crinkled in curiosity, oblivious to the fact that his question made both Edward's and my cheeks tinge pink in embarrassment. Well, no. It wasn't that this topic was embarrassing per se, but it just wasn't exactly something that anyone would like to broadcast to the world. Let alone to their girlfriend's brother.

"Yes," Edward looked to me briefly, avoiding eye contact with my brother.

Emmett seemed to think about Edward's answer for quite a while, rolling it around in his head, until something else seemed to spring up from it. However, it was something so mortifying, and out of line that I actually let out an awkward squeak, "So then… you're a virgin?"

Could I please crawl into a hole and never come out? Please? I was certain that doing that would be one hundred times more comfortable than this entire conversation.

I squirmed in my seat, avoiding eye contact with Edward. The thing that actually made me want to die wasn't the fact that my brother was asking such a personal question, but more of the fact that I actually didn't _know_ the answer to Emmett's question.

I mean, sure, I was his first girlfriend, but Edward could've easily had a one-night stand in the past. As much as I tried to be okay with that thought, I couldn't deny the fact that my stomach dropped thinking about Edward getting that _intimate_ with someone – someone who wasn't me.

"Yes," Edward breathed out, making my shoulder slump as I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding in. Upon turning to face him, I realized that he was staring directly at me, his dazzling emerald green eyes melting into my own. I saw his signature crooked grin soon grace his face, making my own smile appear, before I looked down realizing that we had an audience – blushing, like I always did.

"Awww. Get a room, you guys," Emmett boomed, his boisterous laughter filling the air, making my blush deepen even further, before he eventually sobered up.

"No, but seriously, that's good, Edward. Keep it that way. Or else I _will _kill you," Emmett pointed a finger at Edward, all jokes aside, making Edward flustered beyond belief, visibly gulping. I mean, could you blame him? I glared daggers at Emmett after that one, making him hold his hands up in surrender, apologizing profusely for causing the awkwardness.

But thankfully, after that, conversation flowed a lot more smoothly.

We all went back to talking about school, retelling some hilarious stories and just, enjoying life. At one point, while Emmett was going into great detail and depth telling this one story about how he had managed to accidentally shoplift – don't ask - Edward slowly reached for my hand, trying to be an inconspicuous as possible.

_Yup,_ I decided, things were slowly going to get back to normal – well as normal as they could possibly get.

I smiled up at him - loving the warm, secure feeling of his hand encasing my own - just as he looked down at me.

I realized that once I had Edward, things would be okay. It was just a feeling that I had, deep in my heart. I firmly believed that we could make it through anything the world threw at us. I mean, we had made it through this whole ordeal, after all. That had to count for something.

My feelings for him were definitely passed the point of liking. I didn't simply 'like' Edward anymore, not after getting to know him, and seeing how he'd stuck with me - truly - through thick and thin.

I wondered to myself, _did I-could I… _love_ him?_

* * *

**A/N: *gasp*:O**

**This was probably one of the worst chapters I've ever written, just because it was kind of all over the place. I wanted Emmett to be angry, but not to the point where he wouldn't forgive them. And then at the same time, I didn't want him to forgive them unrealistically easily.**

***SIGH***

**lol anyway, the next update will probably come late next week (around Saturday 6th April, 2013). I would've made the update earlier but I have an exam which is on the following week that I have yet to study for. I know, I know. I'm terrible for procrastinating… but oh well, can't change anything now.**

**And no, this is absolutely NOT the end of the story. There's still more to come :) so pleaaaaase. It might be crappy now, but it will get better, I promise :D**

**Leave me a review, maybe? :p they make me soooo happy!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you to: **_**obsessed-with-music, HydraDrawer (Guest), Rosie Bluejay, Marie Cullen 12, MissMartha, RoseNEmmettForever, Twilight RoeiSim23, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, romaceaholic, GaleLuver27, mayejrmorris, cardgirl91, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, twilight edward twilight, angelmichelle (Guest), FelicityA, Avery0113, Rawr Olivia Grace**_**, and **_**se7en29**_**, for reviewing :)**

* * *

Chapter 19

Bella

About three months had passed since Emmett's talk with Edward and me, and thankfully, there hadn't been any more hiccups in our relationship. We - Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I - were all currently settled in Rosalie's living room, each on a different sofa.

It was one of the last Saturdays of the school term - before we all went on Summer break - so all of us were pretty pumped about that.

If you're wondering right about now: yes, I had finally spilled the beans about me and Edward being an item to my parents. Actually, I had done so the same day that Emmett had forgiven us. Surprisingly, my parents had been pretty cool and happy-go-lucky about the whole thing. I guess they had been worried that I'd never find someone who I liked - wholly and truly. But I had, and it was someone that they both approved of, which was really a feat.

Edward had already met my parents, and they both absolutely adored him, almost as much as I did.

At the moment, Rosalie was sitting on top of Emmett's lap on a black, cushioned La-Z-Boy recliner, while Alice and Jasper were cuddled together on the love seat. Edward and I, on the other hand, were comfortable on a single tan sofa with my head rested against his shoulder and his arm wrapped around my waist.

Yes, Emmett was finally comfortable with seeing Edward and myself showing some slight PDA, once in a while. As long as we weren't full-on kissing, Emmett could actually stand to be around the two of us. But I was honestly fine with him not being comfortable with us making out in front of him, because that was definitely better than him not being okay with us at _all._

"So what do you guys wanna do?" Rosalie asked, breaking a comfortable silence which had fallen amongst us. We had just come back from watching 'The Host', a movie based off of the book by Stephenie Meyer. It had been pretty incredible - Alice had even described it to be better than 'Twilight'.

None of us had time to even blink, as in the next split second, Alice was bouncing in her seat, visibly _beaming._ "Truth or dare! Truth or dare! TRUTH OR DARE!"

Edward wondered aloud, "Something tells me that Alice wants to play truth or dare..." I giggled at his tone of voice, simply filled with fake curiosity. My laugh made him chuckle lightly in turn, smiling down at me. It still made me get goosebumps when he looked at me like that - the look in his sparkling green orbs almost made me feel that he felt as strongly towards me as I did, him.

Nevertheless, after that, we all agreed to play the heinous game (I really wasn't a fan of embarrassing myself voluntarily).

I had to admit that, placed in any other situation, I would've outright said a firm "NO" if asked to play truth or dare. But as you could imagine, Edward was very good at, erm...persuading me into doing whatever he wanted - and in this case, it was for me to play a game of truth or dare. _Darn him and his ability to dazzle me._

"Yay!" Alice clapped her hands together, positively _glowing_ at the fact that we were all actually going to join in. "Okay, so who's gonna go first? Hmm... actually, maybe I'll go." She made no sense sometimes. What was the point of asking all of us a question if she herself was going to answer it? I sighed, shaking my head.

"Emmett, truth or dare?" Alice bounced in her seat. I silently wondered how it was possible for one person to always be so... _bubbly,_ at all hours of the day.

My brother flexed his fingers in front of himself and Rosalie, placing his hands on her waist before smirking, "Is that even a question? Dare."

The room fell silent then, as Alice and Emmett had one of those movie-like, one-minute stare-offs - narrowed eyes, wiggling eyebrows and all - before Alice finally spoke up, "I dare you to go to the grocery down the street and buy a pack of adult diapers. Oh, and, when you go up to cashier, you have to explain to him that the reason you're buying them is because you still haven't been potty-trained."

Well, okay then. Guess who wasn't picking dare...

My eyes widened, along with everyone else's in the room - except for Emmett's, of course. He never wished for his reputation as 'Master of the Dares' to be ruined, so he was always up for a challenge, ready to take on whatever dare was thrown his way.

In other words, he was _clearly_ the polar opposite of me.

Emmett lifted Rosalie off of him with surprising litheness, before taking her hand in his and leading the group of us out the front door. Edward pulled me to his chest as soon as we got off the couch, bending down to give me a short kiss on the lips. I smiled against his soft lips, wanting to deepen it, but breaking away nevertheless, knowing that the others would get suspicious if we weren't at the scene of the dare when they were.

Walking out into the clean, spring air of Chicago, with Edward by my side - well, it was something that I couldn't describe. I realized that those first weeks of our relationship had been filled with loads of sneaking around, and basically us being extremely private about our relationship. And now, I don't know. I felt like all of this finally felt_ real_. Now that we were open about _us, _it really, truly hit me that I was falling hard for this incredibly guy.

I knew in that instant that I was in love with Edward Anthony Cullen. That was the only explanation as to why I felt the way I did around him. I felt comfortable... _whole. _It felt like before I met him, something had been missing in my life, and being with him filled that gap.

As we passed the mansions on Rosalie's street, glancing at the occasional foliage, I felt a shiver run through my body. I hadn't realized until then that I had been feeling a bit cold, but come to think of it, I'd been feeling unusually chilly for the past two days. I'd just pushed the feeling out of my system, not wanting to think too much about it.

Yes, it wasn't summer quite yet, but the weather had been pretty nice for the past week. It was even warm enough that we didn't have to wear a sweater to go outside. But I'd been feeling like I needed one for the past few days.

Edward, like always, didn't miss a beat, "Are you feeling cold?"

Not allowing me time to answer his question, he turned towards me, encasing me in a hug to allow for some extra body heat. I blushed at how sweet he was, always worried about me.

After a few seconds, Edward seemed to realize something that he hadn't before, pulling away rapidly, and placing a hand on my forehead.

He didn't look very happy about what he found.

"I think you're coming down with a fever, Bella. Do you want me to go back to Rosalie's, and let me drive you home?" his eyebrows creased in concern, making my heartbeat increase, touched at how much he always seemed to care for me.

I picked his hand off my forehead lightly, taking it in mine, "I'm _fine._ I honestly don't feel sick in any way. C'mon, let's go before we miss Emmett doing the dare." That was a bit of a lie. I did feel like I was coming down with something, but at the same time, I didn't want to be a party-pooper.

I led an unconvinced Edward to the grocery where we caught up with the rest of our friends. This was just as Emmett started his pace towards the toiletries section where he picked up possibly the most embarrassing-looking pack of adult diapers. I'm not joking when I say that the label literally read, "For some of us who have the urge to _go_ when we're on-the-go ;)"

All of us tried, but failed, to keep in our laughter as Emmett strutted - that was the only way I could describe how he was currently walking - to the cash register.

I coughed, starting to feel as if my body was a getting a little weaker than normal, but quickly shaking it off. _I'm not getting sick_, I chanted in my head, hoping that if I said it enough times, the feelings that I was having would slowly slip it away. Wishful thinking, I know.

Looking back towards Emmett, we all soon realized that the cashier he had walked up to was a fellow classmate of his, Eric Yorkie. As if this whole thing wasn't mortifying enough...

Eric wasn't exactly the most popular junior at Jarvis High - with a face covered in pimples, greasy jet-black hair, and braces. But even then, he would still be able to make Emmett the laughing stock at school just by retelling the events that were soon to follow.

In that moment, we all thought that Emmett wouldn't be able to go through with this anymore, but just as quickly as that thought entered all of our minds, it soon disappeared. Emmett just wasn't one to pull away from a situation like this - no matter how sticky. I actually felt a weird sense of pride at my brother for this, mostly due to the fact that I would've already dropped the diapers and scampered away from the grocery had I been in his position.

Emmett placed the item on the check-out counter, waiting for Eric to bag it for him and cash him out.

At first, he glanced from Emmett to the adult diapers, before nodding and picking up the item, running the barcode through the scanner.

"Kinda gross, right? I have to buy these for my grandmother as well," Eric made an attempt at light conversation with my brother, who simply blinked at the guy, trying to look as unamused as possible.

We were all hiding in one of the aisles, far enough away that we wouldn't look like we were obviously eavesdropping, but close enough that we could see and hear Emmett and Eric's entire conversation.

"What makes you think that I'm buying this for my grandmother? These are for me. Didn't you already know? I mean, _everyone_ knows - I wasn't ever potty-trained," Emmett looked at Eric like if he had been living under a rock for his whole life, and didn't know something that was basic knowledge.

I had to give my brother props for the way he had played it off. He had made it seem like Eric was a moron, completely out of the loop, because he didn't know that Emmett 'wore diapers'. In other words, he had ensured that Eric wouldn't tell any of his friends about this whole thing, because he had made it seem like they already knew that Emmett 'wasn't potty-trained'.

Emmett continued, "It's awesome though. I don't have to excuse myself and go to the bathroom when I need to... you know," he winked at the end, making Eric's jaw drop open, eyes widening to the size of saucers.

Eric spluttered, "Oh, um. Right. Okay," quickly cashing my brother out, too freaked out by Emmett's confession to even look at him.

By this time, the group of us were basically dying of laughter. Tears were actually streaming down all of our faces, as we all gasped for air. Emmett only grinned when he saw us, dusting off his shoulder in a 'I-know-I'm-completely-awesome' kind of way.

We all high-five'd him, giving him props for the whole thing, before making our way back to Rosalie's for the next round of truth or dare.

By this time, I had become slightly more aware of the fact that I was feeling more and more light-headed. Feeling my neck inconspicuously, I was surprised at how much my body temperature had increased.

Oh, great. It looked like I really _was_ coming down with the flu, just when things had started to get fun again.

As soon as we sat back down in our previous seats, Edward took one look at me, and got up, grabbing his car keys. I was honestly shocked at how quickly he read me.

"Guys, I think Bella's feeling a bit under the weather. I should drop her home," he told our friends, who all looked at me, worry etched across their faces.

"I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow, but Edward's right, I'm not feeling that well," I said, already feeling drained from saying just that one sentence. Okay, so maybe I _wasn't_ going to get better in one day.

"Make sure to pick up some Panadol for her A.S.A.P. She's looking really pale," Alice directly spoke to Edward, before giving me some other medical advice, and telling me she hoped I'd feel better soon.

The rest of my friends followed a similar pattern, waving goodbye to Edward and me as we left through the front door. I wondered how I had gone from feeling A-okay to completely awful in a matter of hours. I guess viruses worked really speedily in that way.

Edward headed straight towards his silver Volvo, still grasping onto my hand and rubbing his thumb along my the back of it, despite the fact that he knew that I was sick - so therefore, he had a chance of catching my flu as well.

But, still being the perfect gentleman, he opened the passenger door for me, making sure I got in alright, before heading over to his side. He felt my temperature once more, before revving up his engine and speeding off to my house, making a quick detour to the pharmacy on our way there.

It wasn't long before we arrived to the cream-white, three-story building that was my home, parking in the empty driveway. My parents weren't home as yet, and Edward didn't look the least bit impressed at this fact, helping me out of the passenger seat.

Now, this happened just as I was hit with a dizzy spell, so without thinking about it, I began to lean on Edward for support. He immediately froze upon realizing what was happening, but surprisingly didn't say anything. Then, in one fluid motion, before I could get the chance to move away from him and shake it off, he bent slightly. Then, he made me gasp when he scooped me up in his arms - bridal style.

"Edward, it's okay, you really don't-" he cut me off before I could manage another protest. "Bella, please don't give me that. You were just about to collapse. I'm not letting you walk," Edward raised his dark eyebrows, challenging me to refute that, his emerald eyes burning into mine with such conviction that I could only nod in response.

Did I have the most amazing boyfriend, or _what_? Wow, just wow.

Trying to distract myself from thinking about how muscular and toned he felt, I kept inspecting his facial expression for signs that he was struggling under my weight in his arms. But he awed me with each step that he took with complete and utter ease. He made it seem like he was carrying a pillow, and not an 105 lb. person.

As if he wasn't already doing more for me than anyone else normally would: instead of carrying me to the nearest couch, which I was completely fine with laying on, he walked all the way upstairs, right into my bedroom. "I'll be back," Edward said, speaking like if he was talking to a fragile child - which I guessed I was acting like - before rushing out of my room.

Obviously, like any other girl, I took that time to make sure that any embarrassing items I owned were out of sight, and that my room looked to be slightly in order. Hey, it didn't matter that I was impossibly sick, I still didn't want Edward to be weirded out by anything that he happened to come across.

Hurriedly throwing a stray bra of mine into the nearest drawer, I jumped back onto my bed in record time.

The door opened just then, and I saw Edward holding a glass of water which seemed to be bubbling and changing colour with each passing second. Immediately, I knew that he had added some effervescent vitamin C into it. Handing me two Panadol PMs, he advised me to swallow them both with the vitamin C water, saying that I "needed the rest".

I hid my smile at how much he was acting like a doctor, which really shouldn't have been much of a surprise seeing as his father was, in fact, one.

At the same time, even though I _loved_ the fact that he was seriously putting so much effort into taking care of me, and making sure I recovered from this, I also felt a huge sense that I was being a burden.

"Thank you, Edward... but really, you should probably get going. I'll be fine, I promise," I looked imploringly at him, which he completely took the wrong way.

"Do you not... want me here?" he tried to ask casually, but I could see the hurt in his eyes, as well as hear it in his voice.

I almost spat out my water, quickly hurrying and shaking my head, "No, no, no. Of course I do. But I just don't want you getting sick." That was _part_ of the reason I wanted him to leave, but it was mostly because I didn't want him freaking out and worrying over me, no matter how adorable it was. I wasn't worth the stress and time, even if he seemed to think so.

Edward broke out in his signature lopsided grin, shaking his head at me, "I just got a flu shot a week ago. Trust me, I have absolutely no chance of catching this. And it's a good thing, too...because I kind of...really like taking care of you." I could've sworn that I saw his cheeks tinge a slight rosy colour at his confession, just as he ran a hand through his smooth, bronze-coloured hair.

Yup, it never failed to make me swoon when he did that.

My heart skipped a beat at his words, making my own cheeks heat up, as I smiled.

"Okay, fine, I'll let you stay... just this once. But here, at least lay down or something. You're making me tired just looking at you," I raised my eyebrows up at him, making him chuckle lightly. He was literally kneeling on the carpeted floor next to my bed so that he was at eye-level with me when he spoke. "You're too much, Bella," he laughed again, before standing up and going around to the other side of my bed, shifting so that he was as close to me as he could possibly get.

I rested my head against his shoulder, just as he kissed my forehead softly. I sighed in contentment, unable to keep the smile off of my face. Even though I felt like utter crap right about now, Edward's presence seemed to always make me feel so much better.

It was so weird that only a few weeks ago, I would've laughed if someone had told me that I was going to have someone as flawless as Edward Cullen as my boyfriend. I just wouldn't have believed it. In fact, I still don't believe it now that it's true.

He was simply too good to be true.

After a few minutes, I felt myself getting sleepier and sleepier, figuring that the Panadol PM was finally now kicking in.

And just as I started to feel myself slowly drifting off into a sweet slumber, I heard the sound of Edward's melodious voice humming something - something that sounded a lot like a _lullaby. _A smile graced my lips as he continued to hum the peaceful tune, making me close my eyes and finally slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so please give me your HONEST opinion of this chapter. I literally wrote the majority of it last night, when I was half-asleep, so I don't know if it's as good as I planned it to be. Oh, and also excuse any spelling/ grammar errors. I didn't use spell-check for this one.**

**I know, it was kind of weird how it went from truth or dare, to Bella feeling completely ill. I was actually going to leave the whole 'getting sick' thing for the next chapter, but I had already kind of worked it into this chapter, so it was hard for me to just erase everything and start over.**

**OH AND BEFORE I FORGET! I just put up a poll on my profile. So please, please, vote on it. It consists of 2 ideas for future stories that I'm debating on writing after Our Instant Connection is over.**

**Thank you so much, and don't forget to review :D I always get super happy when I hear your feedback.**

**xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you to: **_**mayejrmorris, angelmichelle (Guest), smudge704, Twilight RoeiSim23, kay11kay1, obsessed-with-music, vampdreams, se7en29, romanceaholic, Ski74, SelenaQuintanillaLOVER, wood-morning, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, HydraDrawer (Guest), Rawr Olivia Grace, cardgirl91, MissMartha, grisAliceCullenSwan, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, **_**and 4 **_**Guests**_**, for your wonderful reviews!**

**I'd like to just quickly thank the people who voted on my poll :D**

**According to the votes, I will be writing the "Bella is best friends with Edward, but is dating Jacob. Edward REALLY likes Bella, and wishes that he'd see that Jacob is no good for her…." one. So, look out for the first chapter to that one around summer, when I finally finish this story :)**

**Anyway, enough chit-chatting, let's get on with the story, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 20

Bella

I woke up to the sound of a knock on my door, reverberating throughout my rather large bedroom, "Bella? Are you alright, honey?" I blinked a few times, yawning softly, still slowly regaining consciousness and attempting to stretch my arms. Only, that process was hindered by something - some_one - _specifically someone's _body._

Now of course, I still hadn't fully recalled the day's events as yet - only remembering the fact that I had gotten sick during a game of truth or dare and that Edward had driven me home. I hadn't yet gotten to remembering the part where Edward actually _stayed _to take care of me_. _So, you could understand _why_ I let out a startled yelp after focusing on a pair of green eyes staring amusedly into my own.

I guess that had been a terrible move on my part. My mother, still at the door, completely took my cry the wrong way, barging into my room, "Is everything okay? I heard a screa-" She cut herself off, immediately taking in Edward and me….on my bed…. still cuddled up…. You get where I'm going with this?

Her hand flew up to her mouth, clearly processing this entire situation. All I could do was try to stutter out an excuse while my cheeks heated up in complete mortification. Was this some kind of weird curse that Edward and I had placed on us? First,_ his_ mother walks in on us, then my brother, and now _my_ mother.

Edward remained frozen next to me, too shell-shocked by this whole thing to even react. But when he did, he hopped off of my bed, moving to the other side of the room, as far away from me as he could get.

As if that could change everything my mom had already seen.

"What's going on here?" she asked calmly, arms folded across her chest. Oh right, _now_ I remembered why she was my favourite family member. She didn't freak out when she walked in on a very… interesting... scenario, and always heard my side of a story, instead of assuming everything.

Unlike Emmett.

Taking a few breaths and regaining my composure, I chose my words carefully before I answered, "It's seriously not what it looks like, Mom. I got sick while we were over at Rosalie's house, so Edward decided to drive me home. Then, when he realised that neither you nor dad were here, he decided to stay with me until you guys came. We both just fell asleep while waiting."

I gauged her reaction, waiting to see whether she bought my story or not. I wasn't particularly worried that she wouldn't, because my story was, after all, the truth.

Renée studied my face for a while, before moving onto Edward's, then finally glancing towards my dresser and noticing the various medications on it.

Her whole demeanour just changed in that instant - she went from being overprotective-mom, to the easy-going, loveable one I was so used to. "Oh Bells, you should've called me when you got home. I would've left work to come and make sure you were alright. What do you have?"

Realizing the fact that I was slowly getting exhausted carrying a conversation with my mom - it was unbelievable how much he knew me - Edward filled in for me, "She has a fever, headache, and nasal congestion. I gave her some vitamin C and Panadol to help with her flu, and it seems to be working. She's still in obvious need of some rest, but her fever's going down."

My mom blinked at Edward, completely taken-aback by how easily he knew what my symptoms were, and how quickly I was recovering. Then, something clicked in her head, and she smiled and nodded, "Right, you're Dr. Cullen's son." Still smiling, she continued, "Thank you for taking care of Bella while we were gone."

Edward smiled softly, locking eyes with me, "I'd do it any day; it was my pleasure." I smiled towards him, seeing and hearing the true honesty that his words held.

My mom, witnessing our little moment, cleared her throat, hiding a smirk, "Your Aunt Ellen is flying in from San Diego today. She should be arriving soon…but if you want, I can just ask your father to pick her up, and I can stay with you?"

I knew that she'd much rather go see her sister whom she hadn't seen in years, than stay at home and take care of me. So I shook my head vigorously, "No, mom. You should go meet her. I'll be fine, really."

Her eyes were clouded with judgment, wondering whether she _should_ really leave me alone, or go see her sister. But in the end, the latter ruled out, and I was thankful of that. It's not that I didn't appreciate my mom, but I really didn't want any more people worrying about my health.

"Okay, if you're sure…. We'll make sure to bring you back some chicken noodle soup, okay?"

She kissed my forehead lightly, touching my cheek and smiling once more at Edward before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

I know what you must be thinking right about now: wow, how could Renée actually leave her sick daughter at home, instead of taking care of her like a good mother?

Well, when you put it that way, she didn't exactly sound like an A+ mother. But I also knew for a fact that this was simply an unusual circumstance. If my Aunt Ellen hadn't flown in for a few days, or Edward hadn't been here, my mom would've definitely stayed and taken care of me – no questions asked.

But after seeing Edward with me, I could tell that she felt comfortable enough to leave us together, and pass on the duty of caregiver to Edward - even though I wasn't exactly okay with it. I mean, his parents probably wanted him to go home soon.

Looking over at the clock, I noted that it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Even after all of his work of brushing off the whole 'staying-and-taking-care-of-me' thing, I still felt like I was being a huge burden to him. Just because he was my boyfriend didn't mean he had to be so perfect and stay with me. It was honestly too much.

I voiced my thoughts, "Hey, you really don't have to stay with me for any longer. I'm sure your parents are worried. Emmett should be home in a little bit. I'll be perfectly alright on my own until then." I tried to make my voice sound as earnest as possible, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to get to him.

"Bella, I'm staying. End of story. I already told my parents that I'd be taking care of you for a while, so there's absolutely no rush," he said this as he walked up to me as I lay on the bed. I sighed, looking up at him, and willing myself to keep urging him to go and stop worrying about me. But one look into his beautiful green eyes, and I completely forgot my train of thought.

He bent down so that he was at eye level with me, "Why can't you just accept the fact that I don't _want _to leave you… If I had a choice, I'd never leave you." His voice steadily fell to a whisper, as one of his hands caressed my cheek. I hadn't really understood the meaning of being rendered completely speechless before. But now I did.

I knew I was sick, and I knew that there was still a minuscule chance that I could pass my flu onto Edward. But right now, I didn't really give a damn. I closed the distance between the both of us, making Edward smile as soon as our lips met.

One thing led to another and soon enough, Edward was poised on top of me on my bed, his hands resting on the sheets on either side of my face - kind of like a push-up position. I was tugging on his T-shirt, attempting to bring him as close to me as possible. This made him smile even _more_, as he brought himself down to me so that our bodies were touching.

Everything seemed to be going great, perfect even, as our lips molded together along with our bodies. That was, until something suddenly just felt _weird_. And by weird, I mean, completely wrong. It had nothing to do with Edward – this odd feeling stemmed from my stomach, and with a jolt, I realized what it was.

I broke away from Edward, already feeling dizzy, and certain that my face was growing pale and green. Then, without a word, I squirmed out from under him, racing to my bathroom as quickly as I could, before shutting the door behind me.

Not even thinking about it, I lifted up the toilet seat cover and prepared to heave my guts out.

It wasn't ever a pleasant feeling – throwing up. My throat felt sore, my body ached, and I just felt… _gross_.

Edward knocked on the bathroom door, then, hearing the gagging sounds I was making, immediately entered without waiting for consent. I didn't want him here; I didn't want him to see how disgusting I looked.

"Edward, no. I don't want you to see me like this," but he didn't listen to me, which wasn't surprising really, because I mean, when did he _ever_ listen to me?

He kneeled down, mimicking my position, holding my hair away from my face with one hand, and rubbing my back with the other. I almost cried because he was doing so much more for me than anyone else had ever done when I was in a state like this. Thankfully, I kept my emotions in check; otherwise I'm pretty sure he would've taken my tears completely the wrong way and thrown a fit.

I threw up at least four more times, while he was there, with me. And he was the perfect gentleman about the whole thing, not complaining, just trying to make me feel as comfortable as he could. I honestly didn't know what I had possibly done in my life to deserve someone like this.

I wanted to tell him how I felt about him…so badly. But at the same time, I didn't want to overwhelm him; what with everything that was already ensuing.

After a while of taking deep breaths and realizing that I couldn't get anything more out of my system, besides chyme, I just sat there for a little while with Edward.

Then I stood up, flushing the toilet, before proceeding to brush my teeth (for, no joke, ten minutes straight). Edward stifled his laughter at my paranoia, and I shot him a look, simply stating after I was done, "I just wanna be sure that I'm as clean as I can possibly get."

I said this in a matter-of-fact tone, which made him laugh even harder.

He flashed me his crooked grin, almost making my already-weak knees, give out from under me. "Okay, Bella," he chuckled at me once more.

Then, sobering up, I noticed that, after looking around, his expression changed to something a little more wary and nervous, "Um, are you gonna sh-shower… do you want me to leave?"

I actually couldn't hide my smile, or my blush at his question. Edward could be so incredibly adorable and modest at times.

"Yeah, I think I might go ahead and freshen up. Oh, but I need to go get something to change into," unfortunately, I stood up too quickly from the bathroom stool, and immediately wobbled on my feet.

Edward's arms quickly wrapped around my waist, catching me before I made a messy fall, and raising his eyebrows towards me. "I don't think that's such a good idea. I'll go get whatever you need, just stay here and sit down." He advised me, lowering me down back to the stool I'd been sitting on, before going out to my bedroom.

After a few minutes, my eyes widened as I wondered if Edward had gotten me... undergarments, as well. When he soon returned with a bunch of clothes in his hands, and a face as red as a tomato, I indirectly received the answer to my question.

"I, um. I just picked up the first thing I saw," he explained, handing me a pair of shorts and a matching T-shirt, along with a bra and underwear hidden between them.

I tried to control my heated face and neck as I smiled, "Thank you."

I stood up more slowly this time, walking over to him, giving him a light kiss on the cheek, "Thank you for everything."

We were centimeters away from each other – I could literally feel his breath fanning across my face, quickening my heartbeat. "Any time," he almost whispered, looking into my eyes with such a burning intensity that I felt the breath whoosh out of me. Then, he leaned down, lightly brushing his lips against my own, before soon breaking away, "I'll be outside."

I almost let out a frustrated groan as he closed the door, finally letting this all sink in. Stupid flu I had been having a perfectly good kissing session with Edward, and this whole sickness had just completely ruined everything. I sighed, shaking my head. Well, there was nothing I could do about it now.

Stripping out of my clothes, I hopped into the shower, preparing to try to scrub the germs out of me – much to no good, of course. By the time I finished washing my hair and cleaning up, I felt a lot healthier and cleaner, and comfortable in my skin.

Glancing at, and inspecting the clothes that Edward had brought me, I couldn't help the small smile that graced my face. He had unknowingly picked out my favorite underwear, _and_ pajamas, without even trying.

I only took a few minutes towel-drying my hair, before pulling my clothes on, then finally, I took a long look at myself in the mirror.

Surprisingly, I didn't have any dark circles under my eyes, or blemishes on my face, like I had expected. I looked well-rested, which I guess I was, after that nice nap with Edward's arms securely wrapped around me.

I fixed my hair as much as I could, seeing as it was still quite damp – I hadn't particularly felt to blow-dry my hair right at that moment, before walking out the door to meet Edward.

I was surprised to see him still waiting there, staring at nothing in particular.

Then, hearing the door close behind him, he quickly spun towards me, looking me up and down, with a smile on his face.

"I knew that'd look good on you," he grinned, walking up to me, snaking his arms around my waist.

I let out a giggle, raising my eyebrows, "I thought you said you'd chosen the first thing you saw?"

Now it was his turn to laugh, smiling, "I lied."

Taking on a more stern look, he examined my face, "How do you feel?"

I couldn't ever help the giddy feeling that spread throughout me every time he showed concern over me.

I spoke the truth, nodding, "Better. Cleaner." We both smiled at that, as Edward leaned his forehead against mine. We just kind of stood there for a while, wrapped up in each other.

I'd been having this recurring question running through my mind for a while now, and I guess that everything that had happened today just made it kind of explode out of me.

"Why are you so good to me? Why me?"

Edward's eyes searched mine, and an expression of anxiety soon appeared on his face. He was conflicted. I wasn't sure what that meant. Had I freaked him out by my question? I was certain I had. Oh great. _Good going, Bella._

"I'm sorry, you don't have to-" he cut me off, forehead still resting against mine, "No."

He continued, "I'd do anything for you, to make you happy. Ever since I met you, all I've wanted to do is put a smile on your face... For a while, I didn't know what that meant; I didn't know why I felt warm and _alive_ around you, and only you. Then I realized..."

He looked directly into my dull, brown eyes, with his piercing emerald ones as he said all of this, making me go more and more incoherent as he went on.

But there were five little words that he ended his explanation with that made my whole world freeze.

"I'm in love with you."

* * *

**A/N OH MY GOSH.**

**Bet you guys didn't expect THAT! :p I know this chapter was really boring throughout the beginning, and then it got kind of weird in the middle. But I hope the end made up for it :D**

**Please leave me a review with your thoughts, views, concerns. Wow, I sound like a teacher… haha anyway, yeah, I love feedback. So please give me some :)**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	21. Chapter 21

**First off… I just hit 400 reviews… Um, THANK YOU! :D You guys seriously never fail to surprise me with your enthusiasm and love for this story. I personally don't think it's **_**that**_** amazing, but I have to admit that it makes me super happy that you all like my writing so much. **

**Thank you to: **_**lilysmily, RoseNEmmettForever, angelmichelle (Guest), MaryE1980, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Twilight RoeiSim23, HydraDrawer (Guest), TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, theresa24, obsessed-with-music, twilight edward twilight, jasminwilson12, cardgirl91, vampdreams, Vampgal (Guest), mayejrmorris, grisAliceCullenSwan, dr . meow1234, **_**and **_**crissy cullen**_**, for reviewing. **

* * *

Chapter 21

Bella

"_I'm in love with you"_

"_I'm"_

"_in"_

"_love"_

"_with"_

"_you"_

The words swam around in my head for what seemed like decades, but were really only a few seconds.

When he had initially said those words, that's all they had been to me; words. Until I finally gave myself time to let it all sink in, and the realization of _what_ Edward had just confessed hit me like a ton of bricks:

_Edward Cullen loves me._

He_ loves _me.

It was official: I had died and gone to heaven. That was the only explanation. Edward couldn't _actually_ love me... Could he? It was just too surreal.

As much as I tried to deny it though, I knew that it had really happened. He had really told me that he loved me.

My mouth gaped open, as I exhaled slowly. Hearing those words; feeling the meaning behind them was an indescribable feeling. I was almost breathless as I felt the strong sensation that I was floating, even though upon looking down, my feet were still safely planted to the floor.

I looked back up, into his mesmerizing green eyes that always seemed to be bright and filled with life. Once again they were, and it was only upon closer inspection that I realized that all those other times I had looked into the depths of his eyes and seen that one emotion that I couldn't quite place…. It had had a name all along: love.

Now, I still hadn't given Edward a response, or made any move to talk for that matter, so Edward wasn't exactly taking my silence as a good thing, eyes shifting nervously as he waited for me to say something – _anything_. But no matter how hard I tried to open my mouth and let the words that had been bubbling up inside me for the past week, spill out, I just _couldn't._

My tongue felt like lead. Everything inside me felt numb with shock. But could you really blame me? Never in a million years did I ever think that Edward would love me back. Yet here he was, right in front of me…. Still…waiting there.

After a few more seconds of me simply looking at Edward like a fish out of water, he couldn't take my silence any longer, "You don't have to say anything. I know that's a _lot _to take in, and I won't hold it against you if you don't feel the same way about me. But I just, I needed to tell you how I felt. God, I really freaked you out, didn't I?" He moved backward, letting out a long breath and running his hands through his hair in frustration.

I couldn't help but let out a small, breathy laugh at that, seeing how nervous he was acting, and how he was basically beating himself up for no reason. I hated that I couldn't just open my mouth and say the words I'd been dying to say forever now, but my body was taking its merry time to actually function.

I wanted to completely take away his fear that I didn't reciprocate his feelings – because I did, really and truly.

Deciding that it would be awkward if I just blurted out "I love you" after about ten solid minutes of me not talking at all, I took a deep breath, walking up to Edward and taking his face in my hands.

I smiled softly once, before reaching up and planting my lips onto his, eyes immediately shutting once his lips touched mine. I felt him stiffen in surprise against me, before he relaxed a little, wrapping his arms around my waist, hugging me close to him - as if I was going to disappear any second.

Sighing, as we both broke away, I forced him to look into my eyes, to see what I really felt for him, just as my body seemed to finally be doing what I wanted it to be doing, and the words started flowing out of my mouth, "I love you too, Edward."

It felt so good to say it to him, to convey the fact that he was the only one for me – was only ever going to _be_ the one for me. I'd imagined it to be nerve-racking and nail-biting, officially telling him how deep my feeling were for him. But it just felt _right_, if anything.

He filled a gap inside me that I hadn't ever known had existed - I couldn't ever be without him. I'd just be incomplete.

We both remained there, stock-still, after my statement, before Edward took a deep breath, shutting his eyes, "You're not just saying that because you feel sorry for me, are you? I don't want you to say anything that you don't mean."

At first, I frowned at his insecurities, wondering why he would find my loving him so hard to comprehend – shouldn't it be the other way around?

It _was_ the other way around.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that _Edward_ loved _me_ – little ole me.

"No, I'm not. I fell for you since the day I bumped into you, and knocked down all of your textbooks on the bus." By the end of my confession, I had a cheeky smile on my face, immediately seeing Edward's eyes fly open, as a wide grin spread across his own face, as well.

We both stood there for a long time smiling like complete idiots as we recalled the first day we'd met each other, before Edward simply stated, "Good, because… so did I," and proceeded to crash his lips against mine.

Euphoric couldn't even come _close_ to describing how I felt at that moment.

Letting this all out felt so uplifting. Even though I had been perfectly happy just being with Edward without letting him know the true depth of my feelings, it was so much better knowing that we both loved each other.

As soon as our lips started to move more eagerly against one another, Edward lifted me up gently, allowing me to hook my small legs around his waist.

This kiss was unlike any other kiss I'd ever experienced. Although we'd both loved each other for a while now, we were only now truly showing it to one another – and I had to admit that it felt pretty great.

Our lips were moving gently but passionately against one another. I couldn't ever get tired of feeling Edward's smooth lips brush against my own – it was something I couldn't live without now that I'd had a taste of how good it felt.

Just as I was starting to feel myself beginning to go out of breath, something happened.

With my arms wrapped around Edward's neck, fingers threaded in his silky smooth hair, and his hands securely wrapped around my waist, I felt Edward's tongue lightly graze my lips.

Obviously, I mentally panicked, having been completely inexperienced in French kissing. What if I was bad? What if he got grossed out with me afterwards?

But then I came to a conclusion in my head: well, I would never know unless I tried, right?

And after that, it wasn't long before I was opening my mouth and allowing him entrance, getting more and more nervous by the second about what was going to ensue.

That _was_ until our tongues actually connected, and I don't know what happened, but it seemed like the puzzle pieces all fell into place_._

My anxiety slipped away, getting replaced with delight and excitement. I'd imagined making-out with someone to be kind of disgusting and awkward, but, like everything else with Edward, this was… perfect.

Our tongues tangled with one another, and I was overwhelmed with the sweet taste of him – I could only describe it as tasting like my favorite flavor of ice-cream. We bought explored each other's mouths for a while, but I simply couldn't get enough of it – enough of _him._

It was odd, but I felt like I knew him more now, and I wanted to continue expanding my knowledge…. but was unfortunately hindered by the fact that we were both on the verge of dying from lack of oxygen. No biggie.

I could safely say that neither of us would've broken away if we could work around the whole 'needing-air-to-survive' thing, but like all good things, our kiss had to come to an end.

We were both gasping and panting for air as we looked into each other's eyes. I was enraptured by what I saw: a mix of emotions swirling in Edward's pools of green; ranging from happiness, to nervousness, to awe, to love… and even, lust.

Edward was still holding me up while my arms were securely wrapped around his neck. And even though I was perfectly content just staying quiet and memorizing the features of my boyfriend's face, he had other plans.

"Was that weird?" he was, once again, adorably wary that he'd gone too far and done the wrong thing. Could he not see that I was practically radiating happiness after that mind-blowing kiss?

I shook my head vigorously, trying to show the absolute absurdity of his question, laughing, "No. It was pretty amazing, actually…. You're pretty amazing." My voice lowered towards the end as I felt my cheeks heat up, realizing what I had just said to him.

His signature crooked grin appeared on his face soon after, lighting up his already perfect features. I was glad that I had dispelled his worries, but also wondered how someone so flawless as Edward could be so bothered about what someone as plain as me thought of him.

Here I was thinking that it was only _me_ worried about what _he_ thought.

"You're pretty amazing as well, love," he said, completely serious, making me blush even harder.

Then, noting his nickname, I smiled a little as I raised my eyebrows at him, " 'Love'?"

He chuckled, looking down, "Too much?" There it was again – the insecurity. He really didn't know that everything he said and did made butterflies rise up in my stomach. I was pretty sure that he could say that he'd pushed someone off a cliff and I'd still be all giggly and swoony.

I used my finger to guide his chin up to look at me, "No, it's perfect." I assured him, trying to make him see how true my statement was.

I smiled, continuing, "I love you, Edward." And I did. It was the only way I could describe my feelings for him now.

He didn't miss a beat, smiling along with me, "I love you too, Bella."

* * *

For the remainder of the day, Edward and I cuddled up on my bed, watching some TV – getting a few kisses in between.

I was basically lying down on top of him, while his arms were wrapped around my waist, keeping me in place, and his chin was rested on my shoulder. It was pretty blissful, to say the least.

I was currently playing with hands, comparing mine to his and smiling at how big his hands were as opposed to mine.

I don't know why the question suddenly blurted out of me, but I couldn't exactly take it back after I said it, "When did you know?" I was referring to when Edward realized that he loved me – he obviously got that.

His hands moved so that they were interlaced with mine, as he looked down at me, "At Jasper's party, after Emmett walked in and… you started crying. It killed me to see you like that – in so much pain. I wanted to take it all away, make it all better for you. I didn't know why it affected me as much as it did, until I realized how deep my feelings for you actually were."

By this time, I was gazing up at him as his hands squeezed my own. We had both gotten over that whole event, somewhat, but it was still a little melancholic reliving it. I stayed positive though – at least we'd made it through that in one piece, and our feelings for each other had only grown from it.

Edward hadn't asked me, but I still felt the need to tell him, "I realized around that time as well. After Emmett talked it out with us, and I started thinking about how incredible you were for sticking with me through it all, even when anyone else would've left in a heartbeat."

Edward's arms stiffened around me, making me immediately look back up at him, and see him staring down at me with an expression only filled with adoration and solemnity, "I was serious before, you know? When I said that I'd never, ever, leave you."

A warm feeling spread throughout my body, as I angled myself so that I could reach his lips, "I know… And you don't know how happy that makes me."

Edward met me halfway, pulling me close as he pressed his lips against mine, making me sigh in contentment. Our lips molded against each other as we got more and more into the kiss.

Soon enough, Edward flipped us over so that I was no longer on top of him, and instead he was now on top of me. Obviously, he raised himself up so that he was hovering over me, with his weight completely off of me.

This time, I was the one who initiated our make-out session, gliding my tongue across his bottom lip, asking for entrance – which was immediately granted by a smiling Edward.

It wasn't long before our tongues were wrapped up in each other, fighting for dominance. I couldn't get over how _good_ he tasted, moving my lips feverishly against his own, as he did the same.

By the end of our kiss, we were both completely red in the face, breathing heavily, but grinning like mad. Edward leaned down once more, but instead of heading for my lips, I felt his smooth lips softly press against my neck. I let out an audible gasp, completely taken aback by his actions, but loving them all the same.

Edward continued his trail of kisses down my neck. Each kiss felt like fire on my neck, so absolutely amazing and new that I eventually… moaned out in pleasure – which, of course, made him stop dead in his tracks, and me turn into a tomato. I could not believe I had just done that.

Oh my gosh. Someone needed to just kill me now.

Why had I completely embarrassed myself, and _moaned_? Oh yeah, because of Edward, and his plan to completely destroy me with his kisses.

Edward sounded breathless, almost, as he said, "You don't know how much you affect me sometimes. You make me wanna do things that I really _shouldn't_ wanna do."

His pupils were dilated as he stared at me, and I realized at once what he was thinking – what I had kind of caused him to think about.

Uh oh.

I was apologizing profusely in the next instant, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He cut me off by pressing his lips against mine, only breaking away to say, "You didn't mean to what? Be yourself? Bella, being around you, no matter what you're doing, affects me." Edward chuckled to himself. "I constantly have to remember to control myself when I'm with you… but sometimes I'm pushed over the edge, and I slip. I just want you to tell me when I'm moving too fast. Please don't be afraid to."

His eyes searched mine imploringly, and I could only smile in response, cupping his cheek with my hand, "I will, but you're _not_ moving too fast. If anything, you're moving at a perfect pace."

My statement caused Edward to immediately relax, smiling big before kissing me softly on the cheek, and moving so that he was laying down next to me.

After a little while, he turned to me, "Hey, Bella?" he asked.

"Yeah?" I answered, grinning.

"I love you."

And with that, I proceeded to rest my head on his shoulder, just as I replied, voice filled with as much honesty as I could muster, "I really love you too."

* * *

**A/N: Sooo… no one can say that I didn't put any fluff in this chapter, because this chapter was basically completely composed of fluff!**

**How'd you all honestly find it? Was it weird? Cute? In between?**

**Please leave me your thoughts, and feedback in the form of a review :D**

**Love yall!**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you to: **_**lilysmily, crissy cullen, angelmichelle (Guest), se7en29, Marie Cullen 12, kay11kay1, Rawr Olivia Grace, Twilight RoeiSim23, MissMartha, Ninasa1122, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, obsessed-with-music, HydraDrawer (Guest), TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, romanceaholic, cardgirl91, vampdreams, mayejrmorris, twilight edward twilight, **_**and 1 **_**Guest**_**, for reviewing!**

* * *

Chapter 22

Edward

I was certain that things couldn't get any better than this. Hearing Bella admit to me that she loved me back was something that I simply hadn't ever imagined would happen.

Ever.

Everything had happened so spontaneously – I hadn't _planned _on professing my love to Bella at such an odd time, but the words had just blurted out of me on their own accord. And even thought it would've been much more ideal for me to take Bella out and do something really original before telling her something this huge; at the same time, I wouldn't change the way things had played out.

I had, after all, found out the most important thing of all: the love of my life loved me back.

Cheesy as it sounds, just reliving those moments when her eyes had melted into mine and she'd said it – "I love you, too" – had me on Cloud 9. And it was safe to say that at this rate, I was never going to come back down.

She'd fallen asleep in my arms, once again, and I couldn't help but chuckle after a while, hearing her softly murmur, "Perry is actually a secret agent." Followed by, "Shhh, Candace. Don't tell Phineas and Ferb."

I had discovered that she had a tendency to sleep-talk, and man was it entertaining. I almost didn't want to leave her, not only because she was completely adorable and angelic when she slept – not to be creepy or stalkerish or anything – but also because I wanted to ensure that she had fully recovered from the flu.

At the same time, my parents wanted me home soon due to the fact that I had a family dinner to attend in about an hour – unfortunately.

Sliding silently off her bed, I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote a quick note just so that she wouldn't think that I'd ditched her:

Love,

I'm sorry I had to leave so soon, but my parents have this family thing that I can't avoid – as much as I wish I could stay with you all night. I like watching you sleep... in a completely non-creepy way.

See you tomorrow?

I love you.

-Edward x

Then I bent down, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, unable to control my smirk when I saw her lips subconsciously curl up into a smile. Then, I sighed, proceeding to leave her room, jogging down the stairs and heading out her front door.

I was genuinely surprised to see Emmett pulling into the driveway just as I was about to get into my silver Volvo.

"Hey, you leaving?" he asked me, walking in my direction.

I explained myself, "Yeah, I have to go to some family dinner thing."

"Oh," Emmett nodded in understanding, before seeming to remember something.

"How's Bella?" Emmett looked towards the house, making me relax slightly at the mention of her name, "She's fine – much better than she was before. I think that she should be alright by tomorrow."

Emmett smiled softly, "I'm glad to hear that. Listen, um, I didn't tell you this before, but thanks… you know, for taking care of her. I really appreciate the fact that you looked after her, even though you didn't need to."

He clapped me on the back, as I shook my head, chuckling, "It's not a big deal, really. I was happy to do that for her." I was being completely and wholeheartedly honest, and Emmett could tell.

His normally-ever-present grin had slid off his face, leaving him with a firm, almost sincere look. "I was wrong about you, Edward. I didn't think you'd ever be so committed to my sister. But I'm really happy she has you."

He knew how much his words meant to me. After all, he'd sort of hated my guts when he'd initially found out that I was dating Bella. But the fact that he approved of me being with Bella made our relationship that much better than it already was. I cracked a smile, "Thanks man." He grinned after that, lightening the mood by saying he'd meet up with me tomorrow.

And with that, I got into my car, driving the short distance to my house, preparing for family dinner boredom.

Pathetic as it sounds, I'd gotten so used to being around Bella so much that it actually hurt to be away from her.

I rolled my eyes at how hopeless I sounded, shaking myself out of it. _I'm going to see her tomorrow, for Christ's sake!_

Once again, I envisioned her sleeping face – the image of perfection. Her entire body was completely relaxed, pink lips slightly parted as she took soft breaths. Her mahogany hair framed her creamy oval face, making her look even more beautiful.

I groaned, hoping that the night's events would pass by quickly, so that it wouldn't feel like forever waiting to go see my girlfriend again.

* * *

I had been wrong, of course. My parents had invited some of my cousins from Alaska – and not normal cousins like Anna, and her son Jackson.

The cousins that had come over were all either obsessed with hunting deer and elk and framing their game's heads on their walls, or shopping.

_Lovely, _I thought sarcastically.

By the end of the night, I was exhausted. Well, exhausted wasn't the right word to describe how I felt. So many things had happened today – Bella getting sick, both her and me admitting that we loved each other, and regrettably, my family dinner – that my whole head was practically overloaded with emotion.

I knew exactly what would help me get everything that I simply couldn't put into words out – my piano. I hadn't finished Bella's song - her lullaby - as yet. It was a work in progress, still coming along.

But I decided that tonight would be the perfect opportunity to finally complete her song.

I slowly walked up to the third floor of my home, passing the game room and guest bedroom on my right, heading straight for the door on the left that contained my sleek-black baby grand piano.

Then I settled on the familiar piano bench, smiling slightly as I let my fingers run lightly along the keys. I played a few scales, warming up before diving straight into my composition.

I hadn't felt the need to write any of it down in a book, knowing the notes all too well, having repeatedly played it, and once or twice hummed it.

Closing my eyes and picturing her face in my head, I allowed myself to feel what I'd felt all those times before when I'd played her lullaby, adding a few more notes in, this time. I visualized her telling me that she loved me for the first time. When I'd felt and seen the honesty her words held. When I'd let my emotions – and I'll admit, hormones – control my actions and gotten a little… out of hand with her.

Everything seemed to mold into the lullaby, as I tapped deeper and deeper into my emotions, until I heard my parents call out that they were off to sleep. Thankfully, I had finished by this point, only tweaking a few chords here and there. I knew that my parents hadn't directly told me to stop, but at the same time, I wasn't exactly stupid. And I respected that they needed their rest.

Come to think of it, I soon realized that it was already midnight – it looked like I needed my rest too.

I practically dove face-first onto my king-sized bed when I made it to my room, simply lying there for a while before deciding to take a shower and go to bed.

I had gotten a text from Emmett, asking if I was up for going to see a movie tomorrow with all of our friends – including Bella, of course. So, after showering, I replied that I was definitely cool with that.

In the meantime, I was going to take a _long_ sleep.

* * *

I woke up around noon the next day, giving me enough time to have some breakfast before showering and getting ready for the movie. We were apparently going to see G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which I'd heard had some good ratings.

In no time flat, I was dressed casually in a pair of jeans, black Converse, and a navy blue button-down shirt. I had almost forgotten that I was dropping Alice there with me, so I was mildly startled to see her waiting expectantly for me in the kitchen.

"Where are you both off to?" my mom asked, already dressed for work – yes, she worked on Sundays too – and sipping on a cup of coffee. My dad was away for the week, at a medical conference.

"The movies," Alice and I answered in unison, causing us both to narrow our eyes at each other in annoyance. Even though she was a year older than me, we sometimes acted like twins - people had even asked us about it already.

I guessed that it was because we spent so much time hanging out together - both at home, and with friends.

Our mom laughed at the both of us, "Have fun, but don't be back too late," she looked pointedly at the two of us as we looked guiltily towards her. We'd both been coming home slightly past our curfews, either because we'd lost track of time, or we'd just been too tired to drive home.

But either way, it was no excuse for our lateness, so we both promised that we'd be back before ten, saying our goodbyes to her as we headed out.

We took my Volvo, much to the displeasure of my sister, who obviously preferred her Porsche. "Al, no one's stopping you from going in your own car," I said, after the umpteenth time she complained to me.

"I know, but I'm too lazy to drive," she whined, making me roll my eyes, sighing. She was honestly too much sometimes.

Thankfully, we arrived at the cinema before Alice could manage to complain about something else, shutting up as soon as she saw Jasper. And as much as I wanted to laugh at how much her mood had flipped once she'd seen him, I couldn't. Because as soon as I spotted Bella buying tickets to the movie, the same thing happened to me.

I walked up behind her, just as she was collecting the tickets, wrapping my arms around her waist. I couldn't help but grin when I heard a surprised squeak from her, before she turned in my arms, smiling mischievously.

"You know, it's rude to scare people like that," she berated, wagging a finger at me, looking cute as ever.

I feigned apology, pouting, "How could I ever make it up to you?" I whispered, pulling her body close to mine, causing her to pull her bottom lip in between her teeth, biting it thoughtfully.

I don't think it's actually possible to convey how much I had to retrain myself from pulling her into a corner somewhere and doing things that I shouldn't even think of doing to her. Seeing her bite her lip like that basically drove me wild.

_Nice thoughts, Edward, nice thoughts_.

I was actually simply staring at her plump, red lips that just looked extra kissable today, just as she smirked, whispering just as softly as I had, "Hmm… you can kiss me."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. And I was definitely not going to go against it.

I leaned down, just as she tiptoed up, pressing her soft lips on mine. My arms encased her tiny body against mine, just as I felt her own arms wrap around my neck as she threaded her fingers through my hair. She didn't know how amazing that felt every time she did it.

My own lips started to move more urgently, but still gently against hers. I had been expecting, but still hoping that our friends wouldn't interrupt us.

But obviously that was wishful thinking.

Just as Bella opened her mouth and allowed my tongue to tangle with hers, we both heard at least four different, but all still loud, coughs, making us break away from each other. We were met with four equally disapproving looks, as Emmett shook his head, "This is a public place. You're scaring away the children."

We were all silent for a little while, until I chortled, still holding Bella impossibly close to me, just as everyone else broke out into a fit of laughter.

After we all calmed down, we decided to buy some snacks before heading into the movies. While in the line, Bella asked how my family dinner had gone, to which I replied by cringing, clearly showing that it hadn't been the most pleasant experience.

"Aww, that sucks. Hey, but at least it's over now… oh, and I didn't get to thank you for the sweet note you left me. It really made my day," she planted a kiss on my lips, making me grin, taking my hand in hers.

After that, we decided to share a large Coke and some popcorn – I paid, even though she'd frowned when I did, saying I really didn't have to.

I only shook my head, wrapping an arm around her waist as I guided her into the movie. The stares that some boys had been throwing her way hadn't gone unnoticed by me – even though Bella was completely oblivious to it all.

I shot a them all a dirty look, making some either turn back to their girlfriends, or pretend to look down at something completely interesting on their phones. Yeah, they better.

The movie was actually pretty good, and had passed by pretty uneventfully. I had my arm slung around Bella's shoulder the whole time, while her head rested on my chest.

There was actually one point during the movie where Rosalie and Emmett, and Jasper and Alice were both glued in respective liplocks. Both Bella and me had smirked at each other, before coughing loudly in order to interrupt the otherwise occupied couples.

"Hey, pay attention to the movie," Bella had whispered towards them, pointing to the screen, earning her several death glares from our friends, making us both chuckle softly.

As the group of us was walking out of the cinema, I felt Bella freeze beside me, making me turn to see her staring at someone in the distance. If possible, she stiffened even further when a voice called out, "Hey guys!"

It was a strawberry-blond girl – Tanya was her name, I think – along with her two, what looked to be, sidekicks.

I noticed Bella's hold on me tighten, causing me to wonder why she was acting this way. Upon looking at Rosalie and Alice, I saw that both of them were in similar positions as well, holding onto their boyfriends protectively. Um…

"What are you guys doing here?" the girl, Tanya, asked. I noticed her, not-so-subtly, eyeing me up and down, before looking down at my arm on Bella's waist.

And then the heavens opened up and I finally understood why Bella was acting like if she was… jealous. Even though she had no reason to be. She was the only one I had eyes for.

"We're at a cinema. We were _obviously_ watching a movie." Rosalie answered rudely, not giving Tanya her time of day. We all stifled our laughter at her comment, making her smile proudly, as Tanya rolled her eyes.

Unfortunately, sensing that neither Rosalie nor Alice wished to speak to her, she turned directly towards me, not even looking at Bella as she asked, "So who's your friend, Bella?"

Bella had relaxed after Rosalie's statement, but immediately froze once more after realizing that Tanya's attention was on me. I squeezed Bella's waist, sensing her discomfort, and instead answering for her, "I'm her boyfriend, actually. Edward."

I nodded, trying to hide my smile when I saw Tanya grimace, and my friends all laugh lightly at that. But most important of all, I saw the most radiant smile spread across Bella's face as she looked up at me. To exaggerate the point even more, I bent down and brushed my lips against hers, making her shiver.

This earned us a scoff from Tanya, as she glared daggers at Bella before turning away and leaving with her posse. And even though we'd scared her off this time, something told that that wasn't the last of Tanya that we would be seeing. Sadly.

But for now, all I wanted to do was enjoy my beautiful girlfriend, and I wanted her to know exactly that.

I pulled her aside while our friends went outside to look for a good place to have some proper dinner. Then, before she could react in any way, I pushed her gently against a wall, making her raise her eyebrows at me.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, I moved in and pressed my lips against hers, making her gasp softly while I smiled against her. I moved my lips rapidly against hers, before I felt her arms wind around my neck, pulling me close to her.

My hands went to her waist, pressing my body against hers, just as I felt her bite my bottom lip softly.

Dear. God.

I couldn't help but groan softly, making her smile against my lips as I opened my mouth. Our lips continued moving more and more eagerly against each other, as both of our holds tightened on each other.

It wasn't long before our tongues were dancing with each other, and I was exploring Bella's mouth. My hands were travelling up and down her torso, and I'll admit, I was getting more and more carried away by this kiss.

Thankfully, she broke away, panting for air just as much as I was.

"What was that for?" she gasped out, pupils dilated, chocolate brown eyes burning into mine.

"I just want you to know how much you mean to me. And that all the Tanyas in the world couldn't even remotely come close to comparing with you," I stated, just as she softly weaved her fingers through my hair. I sighed as her fingers froze, eyes melting into mine.

"How do you always know what to say?" she breathed, before gently pressing her lips to mine once more.

"I love you, Edward Anthony Cullen," she said, making my heart skip a beat. I wouldn't ever get tired of hearing her say that to me.

I grinned, "I love you too, Isabella Marie Swan. You don't even know how much."

* * *

**A/N: Yup, this was quite the boring one.**

**But I really just wanted Tanya to get introduced to Edward since they hadn't met at Jasper's party.**

**I've been feeling so lazy (so I really didn't edit this one as much as I should have) and experiencing a bit of writer's block lately. But I'm hoping that'll all pass soon.**

**Thanks for the support… leave me some reviews, maybe? :)**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you to: **_**Skeeter20, Holy Cross Baby, kay11kay1, Avery0113, KarleighStock, HydraDrawer (Guest), Samahah99999999, DizzyIzzyCullen, amisha chauhan (Guest), TwilightRoeiSim23, lilysmily, twilight Edward twilight, romanceaholic, Ninasa1122, angelmichelle (Guest), RoseNEmmettForever, Marie Cullen 12, cardgirl91, SelenaQuintanillaLOVER, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson – **_**thank you correcting my error in the last chapter! -**_** mayejrmorris, MissMartha, se7en29, obsessed-with-music, Rawr Olivia Grace,**_** and 1 **_**Guest,**_** for reviewing.**

**A lot of you are wondering what will happen with Tanya... well, only time can tell ;) **

* * *

Chapter 23

Bella

The last few weeks of the school semester had flown by before my eyes, and before I knew it, it was already summer vacation.

I had been thankful that my exams had been a breeze, thanks to loads of group studying with Alice and Rosalie – and of course, Edward. But right now, all I wanted to do was kick back and finally have some much-needed relaxation time.

Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Edward and I were all planning on travelling to Miami for a few weeks in the summer, starting in a few days, so we were all currently getting packed and ready for the trip.

At first, my parents had been extremely wary about letting me go all the way to a different state with my _boyfriend,_ but once I'd assured them that I'd also be going with a bunch of my other friends - not to mention Emmett - they'd loosened up and even booked my ticket for me.

Even though weeks had passed since that fateful day when Edward and I had admitted our true feelings towards one another, I could safely say that I still felt the same adrenaline rush every time he said "I love you, Bella" before planting his lips on mine.

I could already feel my cheeks start heating up as I thought about how Edward constantly made me feel.

Just as I was about to finish packing the rest of my clothes into my suitcase, I felt my iPhone buzz in my pocket, before beginning to ring.

I didn't even need to look at the caller ID to know who it was, "Yeah, Alice?"

"Bellaaaaa," she whined into the handset, making me cringe away from my phone, while I rolled my eyes.

"Aliiiiiiiice," I mocked her tone, making her – I was sure – frown, and me giggle.

"You know what? Just because of that, I'm going to drag you to every, single store that I have to urge to go to while we're in Miami," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone, knowing how much I hated shopping.

I only laughed, knowing full well that she would've still forced me to go to a million and one stores, even if I hadn't offended her.

Still, I apologized, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, Al. What did you want?" I shook my head. My best friend was such a handful at times. God only knows how Edward put up with her for his whole life.

"Well, what I was about to ask before I was so _rudely interrupted_ –" I scoffed before allowing her to continue, "was whether or not you decided on a birthday present for your one and only?"

I blushed at her reference to Edward, before sighing, "Well, I had absolutely no ideas for a while now - only because he's the kind of person that doesn't _want_ very many things. But about a week ago, when we were just getting a bite at the mall, I saw him looking at this really nice Gucci watch…"

I heard an intake of breath on the other line, praying that that was a good sign, before continuing "So I was thinking of customizing it for him. You know, having something engraved or something? What do you think?"

Of course that was only part of his birthday gift.

Edward's birthday was on the 20th of June, which was only two days from now, and one day before our flight to Miami. So Esme and I were thinking of making a surprise dinner for him - consisting of just our small group of friends and of course, his parents.

I heard Alice's loud squeal on the other end, "That's so perfect! He's going to love it, Bella."

I immediately grinned, thrilled at her response, before telling her that I'd call her after I was finished with my packing.

Ending the call, I proceeded to finish piling in the last of the clothes that I needed whilst in Miami.

As much as I hated to admit it, I actually did need to buy some new clothes, so it looked like shopping with Alice and Rose was going to be inevitable.

* * *

It wasn't long before the day of the 20th, and before I knew it, Esme and I were in her kitchen, finishing up the last of the food that we had prepared just for Edward.

It consisted of a vegetable casserole, potato salad, and stewed chicken – which I hoped turned out all right.

Edward was currently spending the day with Emmett and Jasper, after much persuasion on my part.

He – being the relaxed person he is - initially just wanted to spend his birthday lounging around with me. But in order for my surprise dinner plan to work, he had to be out of the house for the entire day – much to his displeasure.

I was quite certain that he already knew we were up to something, but I guessed he was trying to humor us.

Esme and I had just finished sticking the chicken into the oven and were beginning to clean up when she spoke up unexpectedly, "This was such a wonderful idea, dear. I'm sure Edward's going to love it."

I smiled, happy that she had been impressed with my work, "Well none of this would've turned out so great without your help. Thank you, Esme. I really appreciate all of this."

She smiled, practically glowing as she pulled me in for a hug, "Oh, you're welcome."

She continued, pulling away, "You know, I never told you this but my son is incredibly lucky to have you. I'm glad that you're the girl he ended up with."

A warm feeling spread slowly from my heart to the rest of my body at her words, "You don't know how much that means to me coming from you." Hey, it was the truth. Getting such a huge compliment like that from your boyfriend's mother was definitely a thumbs-up.

Esme's smile was bright – so similar to Edward's – as she touched my cheek, "You go ahead and get dressed. By the time you're finished, the food should be cooked. I'll set the table in the meantime."

She never failed to make me feel entirely at home – so _motherly_.

I thanked her, deciding to head upstairs, straight for Alice's room.

Her shock at my disheveled appearance – I hadn't exactly dressed in my Sunday's best just to get all dirty from cooking and cleaning – was completely unsurprising.

"Shower. Now. I'll get your clothes ready," was all she said, making me laugh, "Thanks, Al."

Doing as she commanded, I quickly stripped off my clothes, taking a long, hot shower. I used some of her Moroccan oil shampoo and conditioner, before wrapping a towel around myself and proceeding to blow-dry my dark brown hair.

Alice came into the bathroom not long after – she had begged me to do my hair and make-up, and me, being the considerate friend I am, let her. She set my clothes on the counter, before plugging in the curling iron and bringing out her gigantic make-up kit that she only used for special occasions.

It took her about half an hour to finish my hair, which by the end of it, felt bouncy and soft, while it took her another fifteen or twenty minutes to do my make-up.

Alice, being the crazy person she is, refused to allow me to look at myself in the mirror until I'd put on my dress and shoes.

So of course, I obeyed her wishes, zipping up the green, double strapped dress with a cinched waist, that poofed out up to a few inches above my knees. I'd bought it specifically because it matched Edward's eyes, and it had a slight shimmer to it.

My shoes, on the other hand, were black Christian Louboutins that luckily, were low enough for me to walk in, but still gave me a lot of height.

When I considered myself ready, I turned towards Alice, raising my eyebrows. Her response consisted of her covering her mouth with her hands, and jumping up and down.

I guessed that that meant she liked my outfit…

Alice grabbed my hand, spinning me around to look at myself in the mirror. And it was in that moment that I actually gasped - genuinely surprised with the outcome.

My make-up was perfect, consisting of black eyeliner and mascara, and a hint of grey-black eyeshadow - in addition to a little bit of foundation to cover up any blemishes, and some dark pink lipstick.

My dress hugged all my upper body curves, while my shoes made my pale, creamy legs look longer than they actually were.

All in all, I was glad that I'd allowed Alice to play Bella Barbie with me, and she knew it, "I would honestly hug you for dressing me up so well, but I know you'd be pissed if I crinkled the dress."

To which Alice replied by wiping off a fake tear, "You know me so well."

I laughed, thanking her once more, before allowing her to get dressed while I got the food out and set up.

* * *

It was just as I was finishing setting the vegetable casserole on the table that I heard the door click open to reveal a tall, blond man, who looked quite impressed with the variety of food and the table setting. It was Edward's father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Rosalie followed shortly after. "Wow. This looks great, Bella," Dr. Cullen spoke, nodding towards me.

I'd had the pleasure of meeting him a few times before, and greeted him by giving him a light hug, and a kiss on the cheek. "Great to see you again, Bella."

"You too, Carlisle. I'm glad you like the set up. Your wife was a huge help," I grinned. He, like Mrs. Cullen, preferred me to address him by his first name, which I respected.

Next, I went over to Rosalie, who looked me up and down, "Bells, you look gorgeous! Love the outfit."

I smiled, blushing, "Thanks, Rose. So do you!" She was clad in a dark purple dress that made her look even more like a model then she already did, while she wore a pair of white 6-inch stilettoes – I actually bowed down to her for being able to walk straight in those.

It wasn't long before Esme and Alice joined us at the table, and even sooner after that, we all heard the sound of Emmett's Jeep rumbling up the driveway.

After a few minutes of us all sitting there, holding our breaths, we soon heard the door click open as Emmett, Jasper and Edward all walked in, continuing a conversation about how excited they were for Miami. They all stopped short when they took in the dining table, and then I felt myself turn red when I saw Edward look me up and down with wide eyes.

"Happy birthday!" we all shouted, making Edward jump slightly, as his entire face lit up like a Christmas tree, looking from person to person. It was actually the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen in my life.

He was flabbergasted, managing out a, "Thank you," in his velvety smooth voice, just as everyone went up to greet him. I was last to hug him, about to pull away, but he held me in position. Edward pulled me close to him, gripping my waist as he whispered in my ear, "You look so…sexy."

I turned crimson at that, hoping that no one had heard him, as he continued, "Did I ever tell you much I love it when you blush?" Then he kissed one of my cheeks lightly, as I smiled up at him, leading him to the table.

He sat next to me, as the table all fell into light conversation, "I can't believe that you guys did all of this for me."

Rosalie spoke up, "Actually, we didn't do anything, really. It was all Bella's work."

I added in, "Esme helped _a lot_," which made her beam at me, as she shook her head bashfully. I felt Edward's eyes on me, practically burning a hole through the side of my face as I turned to face him. He looked stunned with a small smile on his face, while his eyes held nothing but love and happiness. It actually made my heart skip several beats.

I actually gasped when he leaned in and gave me a soft kiss – _in front of his parents_ – before he said, "Thank you, love." The sincerity in his eyes and voice was almost too much.

I actually had to blink back a few tears – of joy, of course – entirely pleased that Edward had loved everything.

I mean, it was the least I could do for all of the amazing things he had done for me throughout our relationship so far.

Everyone around the table had enormous smiles on their faces, as they took the two of us. I had almost expected Esme and Carlisle to be wearing slightly disapproving looks at our P.D.A., but stunningly, they looked just as delighted as all of our friends.

Noticing how uncomfortable I was getting with all this attention, Edward pointed to the food, "You all wanna dig in?" which was followed by several cheers of agreement by everyone on the table.

Everyone took their time eating the food, saying that it all tasted "deliciously mouth-watering" – their words, not mine. I had blushed, smiling and thanking everyone along with Esme.

Not long after everyone began digesting all of that food, it was time to bring out Edward's cake, which was a vanilla mousse cake, covered in white fondant. 'Happy Birthday Edward!' was piped on in chocolate frosting, along with two candles in the shape of a 1 and an 8, representing the fact that he was officially 18 today.

As soon as the cake was brought out and placed in the center of the table, Emmett reached over to swipe off a bit of frosting, but luckily, Rosalie slapped his hand away in time, berating him, "Can you not wait for _one_ minute?"

Everyone on the table chuckled when Emmett whined, "No," and Rosalie rolled her eyes.

After a few minutes of getting plates and cutlery for the dessert, everyone joined in singing 'Happy Birthday' for Edward, while he looked modest, smiling at everyone, as he reached for my hand under the table. Then, at the end of the song, he closed his eyes, blowing out the candles.

Alice soon passed Edward a knife and fork to cut the cake, making him grin towards me, as he cut a tiny slice and took a piece of it with his fork. Then he turned towards me, looking expectant, holding out the cake for me to eat.

I actually laughed, before reaching over and eating the cake right off his fork. I saw a flash go off in my peripheral vision and saw Esme snapping away pictures on her camera – making me blush.

Naturally, I swiped the fork from Edward's hand, scooping up another piece of cake and holding it out for _him_ to eat this time. He smiled towards me, showing a set of straight white teeth before leaning down and eating the piece of cake right off of the fork.

"Yum," he nodded in approval, making everyone burst out into laughter. Then, while Rosalie proceeded to cut out slices of cake for everyone else, Edward dipped down and planted a quick kiss on my lips – and once again, I felt several flashes go off.

"I love you so much. Thank you for all of this," Edward said clearly, knowing that everyone else was too preoccupied with their own conversations to be paying attention to us.

I reached up, kissing him on the cheek, "You're welcome," before squeezing his hand which was interlocked with mine.

I was thoroughly content with the fact that he loved his birthday surprise, happy that I could do something sweet for him that would be appreciated.

That was all I wanted – to see him really and truly happy - because I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

* * *

**A/N: C'mon, I had to put that line in there ;)**

**For those of you wondering, the opening of Edward's gifts will be in the next chapter (I was too tired to write in this one :| sorry)**

**Please leave me one of those amazing things called reviews! :D**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	24. Chapter 24

**TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING MY STORY FOR A WHILE NOW: No, this isn't a new chapter :( Basically what happened is that over the weekend, I decided to write a little introduction chapter to this story and replaced chapter 1 with it (feel free to give it a read if you want!). **

**So all the other chapters got shifted down. So now Chapter 23, is Chapter 24... and yeah, it's confusing.**

**But basically (if you've been following my story for a while now) all you need to know is that this isn't a new update. You can go about with your regular life and ignore this. **

**BUT, if you just started reading my story, then read on! :) **

* * *

Bella

I woke up with a start after hearing the opening tunes to Florence + The Machine's song 'Spectrum'. Yawning loudly and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I stayed huddled under my blue duvet, prolonging my getting out of bed. I smiled, preferring to think back to the events of last night.

_Flashback:_

_After the cutting of Edward's cake, and many more birthday wishes, Alice insisted that he open his presents _immediately. _I resisted my urge to shake my head at her impatience, while everyone else nodded excitedly in agreement._

_Edward looked utterly humble about the whole thing, thanking everyone when they handed in their gifts. I hadn't exactly wanted everyone to witness Edward opening my gift, simply because I felt like part of it was too private – too personal - to be shared with everyone else._

_So I decided to keep it to myself until everyone else had left and it was just Edward and I. But in the meantime, I was definitely going to enjoy seeing the variety of gifts that my friends had bought my boyfriend._

_First up, Alice bounced, practically throwing her gift at Edward's face, causing his eyes to widen before he chuckled at her overexcited behavior._

_Everyone leaned forward to see that it consisted of a pack of iTunes gift cards – a very large pack – causing Edward to break out in a dazzling smile, before he thanked his sister profusely._

_Next, Jasper passed Edward a relatively small package, informing him that it was from both Emmett and him._

_Upon opening the wrapped gift, everyone learned that it was a set of at least six of the newest different Xbox games. All the girls had to roll their eyes at that, as Edward bumped his fist with Jasper, "Thanks, man," followed by Emmett._

_Rosalie had coordinated with Alice, I assumed, as Edward's next gift consisted of a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre._

_The two last gifts that followed were from Edward's parents, and were both quite original. One was a signed baseball glove from Edward's favorite player – don't ask me who exactly… I'm not a huge baseball fan. The other was a pair of VIP concert tickets to see Muse live in Chicago after summer (cool!)._

_I guessed that everyone knew that I wasn't going to be pulling out my gift for Edward any time soon, so after that, Edward thanked everyone around the table before starting up some more conversations._

_It was a few hours before everyone decided to leave._

_I stayed back to help clean up all of the dishes, much to the protest of Esme, who complained that it was a mother's job to do all the hard work. I had only laughed it off, shaking my head at her while still cleaning, all the while Edward had stood in the doorjamb of the kitchen, looking entirely amused at our banter._

"_What's got you smiling so much?" I said, after I packed away the last dish, and Esme exited the kitchen to go help Carlisle decide on some new specs for the indoor pool that they were planning to build in their house._

_If possible, Edward's smile grew even more, as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close, "You, and my mom. I'm happy that you both get along so well."_

_I smiled, reaching up to lightly plant a kiss on his lips, "She's a sweetheart. I honestly adore her."_

_Edward's lip twitched up at that, "Not as much as you adore me, though. Right?"_

_I giggled, taking his hand in mine, before looking as if I were pondering the question. Then, I looked up at him, passing my fingers through his bronze hair, "Nah. I've known you a little longer, so."_

_Edward burst out laughing at that, before pulling me with him up the stairs._

_I couldn't help but feel a strong sense of déjà vu as I walked down the familiar hallway. I guessed that Edward had felt it too, because his hand tightened slightly around mine as he looked down at me solemnly._

_If possible, the eerie feeling in the atmosphere tripled as we entered his room._

_At this point, we shared a look that didn't need words to be explained._

_Both of us were being overcome with memories from the last time that we'd been in here together – when Emmett had thrown a fit when he had found out about Edward and me._

_I still flinched every time I thought about the sound of Emmett's fist connecting with Edward's jaw resulting in a loud 'crack'._

_I felt Edward squeeze my hand as he took a seat on the bed, pulling me down to sit on his lap._

"_It's weird to think about what happened here, so long ago. Not just the bad stuff… but the good stuff as well," I voiced my thoughts, feeling Edward rest his chin on top of my shoulder as he wrapped his arms around my waist._

"_Like when I asked you to be my girlfriend, and you said 'yes'," I felt his lips press lightly against my neck as I smiled along with him._

"_Exactly," I laced my fingers through his as I turned in his arms._

_Just as he was about to lean in, I stopped his lips with my index finger, "Wait." I grinned as he frowned, reaching into the practically hidden pocket of my dress, and pulling out a square box wrapped in gift paper._

_Edward looked from the gift to me, looking more and more confused by the second, "You didn't have to get me anything." His green eyes smoldered mine with fierce emotion._

_I looked right back into the depths of his green eyes, saying wholeheartedly, "I _wanted_ to."_

_He looked at me with this look for a few more moments, before removing his arms from my waist, and taking the gift in his hands. Finally, he unwrapped it neatly, as if it were an object that needed to be treated with care for it would break without a moment's notice._

_Once he saw the Gucci box, he knew immediately what it was, looking up at me and shaking his head bashfully._

_God, he was adorable._

"_Open it," I urged him, making him grin crookedly towards me, as he removed the lid of the box and took in the steel, matte black analog watch._

_He took a moment to stare at the beauty of the watch – and I understood, because it was pretty darn attractive – before he looked up at me. Then, inspecting the watch some more, he seemed to feel something weird on the back side of the watch, flipping it over._

"Being with you is time that I cherish, and time that is never wasted."

_Obviously, I'd had a million and one other ideas to put onto the watch, but most of them had been either too long or too cheesy. And although this one was pretty corny, I also felt like it was completely and entirely true – and I hoped that Edward could see that._

_He went silent, looking up at me with an expression that I couldn't quite make out, because it was just so… _intense.

_I mean I literally felt my breath hitch as he searched my eyes, before he finally slipped on the watch. Then, taking my face in his hands, he said, "I love you," before crashing his lips to mine, making me jolt a little in surprise._

_But soon recovering, my arms immediately found their familiar place around Edward's neck as his hands rested on my waist, pulling me impossibly close to him. This wasn't one of our normal 'I've-missed-you' or 'You-know-I-love-you-right?' kisses. It was so much more than that._

_It only took a few seconds for me to open my mouth, allowing Edward's tongue to slip through. Soon enough, our tongues were wound up in each other, just as Edward moved my body so that I was straddling him – it was actually much more comfortable than having to twist my body as I sat on his lap._

_I broke away first, completely out of breath, as I removed my hands from Edward's hair, bringing them close to his face as I replied breathily, "I love you, too."_

_He chuckled then, before sobering up and wearing a more serious expression on his face, "Just being here and spending some time with me was enough of a gift._

_But, thank you. The dinner and the watch were definitely wonderful surprises."_

_And with that, we both grinned at each other, before getting more comfortable on the bed. We had spent the rest of the evening t cuddled up in each other's arms, with my head buried in Edward's chest and his arms wrapped securely around me._

_The day had turned out so much better than I'd initially thought, but I was definitely thrilled about that fact._

_End Flashback_

I heard my cell phone start ringing a few minutes after I'd finally gotten the motivation to get out of bed. It had been Alice, reminding me that we all had to be at the airport by noon.

Looking over at the clock, I realized that it was already ten o'clock – guess I'd overslept, or daydreamed way too much. Oops.

I quickly sped over to the bathroom, showering as thoroughly but quickly as possible, before racing over to my closet and picking out the set of clothes I'd already decided I'd be wearing for the flight.

It consisted of a pair of skinny jeans, black Converse, and a cream, long-sleeved off-the-shoulder top.

Once again checking the time, I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that I had enough time to have a good breakfast, and make sure that I hadn't forgotten anything in my suitcase.

Emmett was already downstairs by the time I reached, drinking a glass of orange juice in between bites of a ham and cheese sandwich. "You have everything you need?" he said, with his mouth full, making me cringe away.

Gosh, wasn't he incredibly charming?

I nodded, pointing to my suitcase and carry-on respectively, before listing off the materials that I'd brought along: my clothes, two pairs of shoes, toothbrush, toiletries, my laptop, camera, and various chargers.

_Yup, I was all good._

I planned on doing a _lot_ of shopping whilst in Miami, hence my lack of clothes.

Emmett's eyes widened immediately after my list of necessities, "Crap, I forgot underwear!" before quickly downing the last of his OJ and speeding upstairs to grab his forgotten articles of clothing.

_Only Emmett_, I sighed to myself, shaking my head. Really, who in the world forgot underwear before going on a three-week trip to a different state?

I decided to call Edward to give him a quick update of what was going on, hitting speed dial #2 (#1 was my mom).

"Hey," his velvet-smooth, deep voice floated through the handset.

I heard a bunch of background noise and static, before he continued with, "Gimme a sec."

Then I heard some talking, and a high-pitched voice screaming out orders, before Edward sighed, coming back onto the line, "Sorry about that. Alice always gets tense whenever we're going out of the state. She's packed at least four different sets of luggage so far, and she's still deciding on a fifth."

_Dear Lord. _"She _does_ know that we'll be shopping in Miami, right?" I voiced my disbelief, as Edward sighed, "Yup. But that's really not changing her mind about the whole suitcase situation. Don't worry though; we'll get to the airport by twelve. This happens precisely every time we travel."

"Okay, me and Em are now about to leave the house, so we'll meet you at the check-in counter," I said, just as Emmett waltzed down the stairs with at least twenty different pairs of underwear in his hands.

My response to that consisted of eyes the size of saucers, and a gaping mouth, to which my brother only shrugged, "Hey, it's better to be overprepared, than underprepared." He nodded his head once, before shoving his clothes into an empty space in his suitcase.

Edward's voice flooded back to me, bringing me back to the world of the sane – which Emmett was clearly not a part of – as he bid me goodbye, "Okay, I'll see you there. I love you."

I smiled, as my cheeks tinged a light pink. I seriously could not get over how much our relationship had progressed over the months. Never in a million years did I think that I'd be saying 'I love you' to someone just after calling him.

"I love you, too," I said, before hitting the 'End' button on my iPhone.

Not a second late, Edward and Alice had arrived along with Jasper and Rosalie, just as the minute hand had struck 12.

We were all currently seated in first class, paired off in couples as the flight attendant droned on about safety, seatbelts, exit rows, and blah blah blah. I'd heard it all so many times before that I was pretty sure I could recite it along with her – maybe even better.

Finally, the pilot took over, welcoming the passengers onto the flight, giving us basic information about the weather and the expected time of arrival and departure. We were going to take off at one in the afternoon, arriving three hours later at four in the evening.

It wasn't long before the plane started moving, going from a slow cruise to what felt like a speeding car. And although I was extremely used to planes and flights and all the processes that came along with it, I could somehow _never _get used to the initial takeoff or touchdown of planes. And I mean, _ever_.

I had no idea why, but it unnerved me completely when I felt the plane either leave or land to the ground, giving me butterflies in the process.

I unconsciously reached for Edward's hand, not realizing just how tight my grip was until Edward started rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on the back of it, making me relax considerably.

He then proceeded to raise the armrest between us to allow me to snuggle myself close to his shoulder, eyes shut. By doing all of this, he had successfully distracted me from thinking so heavily on planes and crashing and engines not working, and more about the fact that he smelled _so good_ – like lilac and honey.

I tried to inhale the scent of his shirt as inconspicuously as possible, deciding that if anything, I'd play it off as a breathing mechanism I'd developed for whenever I went on a flight.

Hopefully I wouldn't have to come to that.

I stayed in this position for a few more moments, applauding my boyfriend for having a response like this one. I knew that most other people would've just sat there and done nothing while I'd had a mini heart attack. Yeah, no big deal.

It took a few more seconds of me being wrapped up in Edward's arms before I could relax fully – and you know, _breathe_ again - as the pilot's voice reappeared on the speaker, "The seatbelt sign will be taken off in a few minutes, but in the meantime, sit tight and enjoy your flight."

Phew, at least I'd gotten through the takeoff – well, it was more along the lines of, 'Phew, thank God Edward had gotten me through the takeoff'.

"Thanks," I whispered, still keeping my head on his shoulder as he kissed my forehead.

"Anytime," he said softly and gently, before continuing, "I didn't know that you were scared of flights."

I made a face, "Well, not the flight itself. But taking off and landing kinda freaks me out, for some reason."

Edward nodded sympathetically, squeezing my hand. Looking down at our interlocked hands, I noticed that Edward was wearing his present from me, causing an involuntary smile to make its way to my face.

He saw my expression, looking down, and smiling along with me, "I haven't taken it off since last night – well you know, except to shower. I really love it, Bella. Everything about it, especially the engraftment."

I blushed at his thanks, shrugging it off, and causing him to grin at my reaction.

"Do I ever tell you how cute you are?" Edward chuckled, bringing his hand up to lightly brush one of my cheeks, thereby making them heat up even more.

"Hm, once in a while, yeah," I ducked my head in embarrassment, making Edward full-on laugh at me.

I even let out a little giggle myself, before returning to resting my head on Edward's chest, while he slung his arm around my shoulder.

About half an hour had passed – drinks had been handed out at this time – before the seatbelt sign once again came on as we were approaching some turbulence up ahead. Of course, my grip on Edward tightened ever so slightly, causing him to immediately rub my arm up and down in a soothing motion.

It took about five more minutes before the sign finally dinged off, and almost immediately, Alice, who was basically bouncing with excitement, bombarded us.

"Are you guys excited? Oh my gosh, I'm soooo excited! I just know that this trip is gonna be a blast!" Alice practically screamed, causing a few people to turn around and stare at us.

I stared at her wide-eyed, slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm – mostly because I'd been on the verge of having a panic attack just moments before.

"How is she older than you?" I whispered to Edward inconspicuously, who whispered back, equally baffled, "I wonder that every, single day."

Speaking louder this time, I directed my attention to Alice, "Yep, I'm pretty excited, Al. Now just, calm down and get back to your seat, okay?"

"Did I tell you that Emmett gave me coffee? Oh my gosh, it was so sugary and _good._ Why doesn't anyone ever let me have coffee?" Alice whined, stomping her foot.

_Was this seriously happening right now?_

Edward and I shared a look, before turning around and looking at the seat behind us – only to find a sheepish looking Emmett looking right back at us.

"Are you insane?!" I whisper-yelled to Emmett, not wanting to disturb the other passengers more than we already had.

To which he only replied with a casual shrug, "What? I thought it'd be funny to see what coffee could do to her. C'mon, you gotta admit that it's pretty hilarious."

Rosalie, who I would've expected to thump her boyfriend on the back of the head for that comment, was dozed off in the seat beside Emmett, while Jasper was now coming back from the bathroom.

_Oh, great._

Seeing Alice's bouncing figure, Jasper immediately turned to Emmett, narrowing his eyes, "You gave her coffee didn't you?"

I was surprised, to say the least, that he could read Alice so well. But I guessed that that was pretty normal for a couple as close as the two of them.

Emmett simply wore a 'deer-in-the-headlights' expression, while Jasper crossed his arms over his chest, "Good job, Emmett. Now _you_ have to take care of her."

Emmett make a few weird, throaty noises before blinking, "What? But she's _your_ girlfriend."

I shook my head, while Jasper replied, chortling, "Not right now, she's not. Now, it's _your _job to take care of her and make sure she doesn't do anything crazy – because _you _did this to her. In the meantime, I'm just gonna be over here, taking a nice, long rest."

And that's exactly what happened for the duration of the flight: Edward and me listened to music while cuddling, while Rosalie and Jasper rested, and Emmett ran around the plane chasing Alice and trying to tie her down – unsuccessfully, of course.

Yep, I had just about the most diverse group of friends, but I honestly couldn't live without any single one of them. Especially not Edward.

Definitely not Edward.

* * *

**A/N: Well I just took forever to post this! Sorry about that :(**

**Some more bad news… um, well. My final exams are coming up at the end of June, and I have to start studying. Also, I have a bunch of final projects to do, which are taking up a lot of my time.**

**So, in other words, that means that I most likely won't be updating again until about the 22nd of June (please don't kill me).**

**This chapter was slightly longer than the others, so I'm kind of hoping that that sort of makes up for the fact that I'll kinda be M.I.A. for the next weeks.**

**Seriously though, I love you guys. Thanks so much for all the support. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if it weren't for you all.**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you to: **_**Samahah99999999, scrat (Guest), Twilight RoeiSim23, TwilightPixieFairy, Monyetta, hitorinbo envy, angelmichelle (Guest), Masen-Elena (Guest), SelenaQuintanillaLOVER, mayejrmorris, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Rawr Olivia Grace, kay11kay1, Rosie Bluejay, twilight edward twilight, RoseNEmmettForever**_**, and 1 **_**Guest**_**, for reviewing.**

* * *

Chapter 25

Bella

"I don't care! I love it!" all of us girls sang along to Icona Pop's hit summer song as we cruised down the highway on our way to Miami Beach.

Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all gave us equally freaked out looks, probably wondering if taking this vacation with us had really been a good idea after all.

Eh, it was too late now.

Just as the GPS guided us the last few kilometers to the beach, Rosalie, Alice and I got all of our respective bags ready to hit the sand for some good tanning time. Not that we were albino or anything, but we were all pretty pale having lived in the cold for our entire lives.

The boys took out a few soccer balls and footballs to goof around with before heading into the welcoming, crystal clear water. It was actually the perfect time of day for us to be at the beach.

It was around 10 a.m., so the beach wasn't too crowded as yet, and the sun was now reaching its peak. The sky was a bright, cloudless blue, while the sand was practically calling my name to get settled on a nice beach towel and begin my tanning session.

Obviously, Edward had other plans. After dropping down my stuff, I got quite the shock of my life when I suddenly felt weightless, and looked down to see that my feet were no longer touching the floor. Furthermore, jerking my head upward, I noticed Edward with a brilliant crooked grin plastered across his face and a mischievous glint in his emerald eyes.

Then I actually took note of the direction we were heading in, and wriggled in his grasp, "No, you are not throwing me in there. Edward, no, put me down. I just… argh," I closed my eyes as I felt Edward flop us both into the water, completely ignoring my pleas.

I wasn't honestly mad that he'd thrown us in, but a little warning could've been helpful.

I mean, I hadn't even taken off my floral print beach cover-up.

But then again, he hadn't taken off his shirt either, so I guess it was pretty fair.

Edward laughed at my face, shaking his hair in my direction, causing a small unconscious giggle to escape my lips. I couldn't help it - it was one of the first times that I'd seem him looking so… carefree. It was quite the sight to see.

Generally, after a few minutes of splashing and having waves crash into us, Edward and I decided to head back to our friends. But before doing so, he tackled me in a warm embrace, kissing my cheek, then proceeding to tug on my hand to follow him back.

_Cute._

Rosalie and Alice hadn't wasted any time in setting out their towels, and applying their suntan lotion, clearly wanting to soak up as much sun as possible.

"Man, that was awesome!" Emmett high-fived Edward, referring to his little stunt with me. I rolled my eyes; just as Rosalie sent a glare to Emmett, "Don't even think about pulling that with me. I'm not nearly as forgiving as Bella."

Well the smirk just completely fell off of Emmett's face at that, making everyone burst out laughing. It was obvious that the gears that had been turning in Emmett's head had suddenly just gone out of service.

"Alright, we're gonna just head out a little further to play some ball. Be back in a few," Jasper gave Alice a long kiss as the other boys followed suit.

I felt Edward's lips lightly brush mine, as he plastered on a cheeky smile, "Don't miss me too much."

I scoffed, shaking my head at his cockiness, making him grin further. I watched him walk away from my peripheral vision as I laid out my towel and got my suntan lotion ready.

It was only then, that I witnessed a sight that would forever be treasured in my mind - Edward slipping off his t-shirt. I just about dropped all my stuff in surprise.

_Jesus. Christ. _

I turned slightly – inconspicuously – getting hit with the full view of his toned body glistening in the sun, still wet from our little dip in the sea.

And well, I just about died.

I tried to look away before he noticed – too preoccupied in a conversation with Jasper – but I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from his slightly tanned body, complete with a six-pack.

Sure, he wasn't a body builder, but anyone could tell that he worked out.

_Gah, cue swoon. _

The fact that he laughed at that moment, running his hands through his damp bronze locks had me practically speechless.

I didn't think I could ever get used to having Edward as my boyfriend.

Ever.

I just kept getting more and more mesmerized with him every day. Pathetic as it sounds.

But hey, this was Edward Cullen we were talking about. He was effortlessly perfect.

Just as I was about to look away, Edward's eyes caught mine, a grin slowly spreading across his face as he raised his eyebrows at my obvious gawking.

I blushed in response, causing his smile to widen as Emmett pulled him away to start the game.

Yup, I was one lucky girl.

It wasn't long before I tugged off my dress, getting settled in my beach towel, clad in a black twist bandeau bikini top, and a matching navy blue bottom piece.

Alice and Rosalie had forced me to buy it at Victoria's Secret when we'd gone shopping the previous day, giggling and making little remarks about how much Edward would _love_ it. Of course, currently, they were both too wrapped up in their own little worlds - eyes closed, headphones in – to notice that I was wearing it.

Rosalie wore a fluorescent pink halter bikini, while Alice had donned a sparkly bandeau bikini with a teal bottom piece. All of our swimsuits actually contrasted quite nicely with our skin tones.

I applied a bit of suntan lotion across my body, before taking out my phone and plugging in my headphones, laying my back across my flag of America beach towel.

I hadn't imagined it to be so peaceful to lie on the beach, but I was genuinely surprised when I felt my whole body slowly get less and less stiff, as the minutes ticked by.

Just as I was getting ready to check to see what the others were doing, I was surprised by a throaty, choking sound coming from right in front of me. I looked towards Alice and Rosalie who were both looking at whatever was making that noise, then to me, practically dying of laughter.

I pulled out my headphones, raising my body up, only to see Edward staring not-so-subtly at my body with his mouth agape. It was the first time that I'd seen him speechless, and with cheeks almost as red as mine.

I bit my lip, slightly floored at the way he was reacting, and trying to hide my smile about it, "You okay there, Edward?" my question seemed to snap him out of his reverie, if only slightly.

"Y-yeah," he stammered, shaking his head and focusing on my face, "the guys were just wondering if you all wanted to come into the water."

Us girls shared a look with each other, shrugging casually before nodding and stowing away our stuff. Edward helped me up, with just a little too much force causing me to stumble into his chest – his _bare_ chest.

_Breathe, Bella. So what if you can feel how defined his abs are? No big deal. Breathe. _I tried to calm myself down, looking up at Edward who was already looking down at me, swallowing hard.

He took a deep breath, stepping away from me slightly, "I like…your outfit." The amount of effort it took for him to simply say those words was adorable.

I was enjoying this way too much. Really.

But I mean, who wouldn't love to make their boyfriend squirm like a baby, all by wearing a bikini? It wasn't even the fidgeting part that I was enjoying, but more of the reason behind the fidgeting.

I mean I'm not the type of girl who worries about her figure, or her weight, but surprisingly, I do have a pretty okay body. And it might make me intensely happy to see that Edward appreciates it. Just a bit.

I smiled at him, tilting my head to the side, "Thanks, I like yours as well." I laughed loudly, just as Edward shook his head, chuckling along with me.

Then, catching him off guard, I pulled his face down to my eye level, laughing a little more, before planting a soft kiss on his lips that actually made him groan out loud.

He didn't once touch my waist (or really any area of my skin that was bare) during our kiss. I guess he was wary of overstepping any boundaries, which I understood.

So, before things could get PG-13 (there were kids on the beach after all), I pulled away, lacing my fingers with Edward's as we both made our way down to where our friends were.

* * *

We'd just arrived back to the Hilton Bentley - the hotel in Miami that we were staying at for the duration of our trip. The boys went straight to their room, deciding to shower before meeting up with us in our room.

It was already six in the evening: we'd spent basically the entire day at the beach.

But all in all, it had been an absolute blast. After the whole Edward-being-totally-shocked-at-my-swimsuit debacle, we'd all dove into the beach waves; swimming around and enjoying the blazing hot sun.

I'd gotten an idea to pull a prank on Edward, which included hiding the extra clothes he'd brought for himself to the beach.

But well, let's just say, I didn't get very far in carrying out my plan, and it ended with Edward tackling me on the sand, as we both collapsed into a fit of laughter.

He'd then proceeded to brush the sand off my face, his hand lingering on my cheek before he'd dipped his head down and planted a long, chaste kiss on my lips.

To say the least, it'd been the best beach trip ever.

Everyone took forever to shower and get dressed afterwards, mainly due to the fact that it was quite a struggle to get every particle of sand out of our hair and off our bodies.

But eventually, we all found ourselves in the same room, deciding where we should go the next day – you know, since we were all way too exhausted to even move for the rest of the day. Well, at least I was.

Edward was sitting with bent legs on the floor, while I lay on his chest with his arms wrapped securely around me.

"I vote that we go to the Disney World!" Alice yelled, while everyone else in the room rolled their eyes.

"If you're willing to take a 3-hour drive to Orlando, then sure, that sounds like a great plan," Rosalie answered sarcastically, making Alice pout, sticking her tongue out at her.

It actually would've been a feasible plan, if Alice didn't get so jittery and hyper during long drives. Oh, Alice.

I laughed, just before Jasper suggested, "We should go to the Seaquarium or Zoo Miami. I heard they're really cool tourist-y places. Then, if anything we can hit South Beach later on."

Unsurprisingly, it was a really idea, and we all decided that we'd do just that.

"So… what do we do now?" Emmett asked, clearly bored. I, on the other hand, was quite content with staying in this position for the rest of the day.

"Hit the buffet downstairs? Then, maybe catch a movie?" Rosalie, Alice and Emmett nodded in agreement to Jasper's plan – boy was he just bursting with ideas today.

I shook my head, "I think I'll stay here. I'm not really in the mood." Edward's grip tightened a little on me, and I immediately knew that he was worried. I interlocked my fingers with his, squeezing.

But I _was _perfectly fine. There was actually no particular reason as to why I didn't want to hang out with my friends. I guessed I'd spent a lot of time shopping and socializing for the week already, so I just needed a break.

"No, I'm fine, guys. I'm just a little lazy," I assured them.

At first, they'd all been a little wary about leaving me here, but soon enough, they believed me – after all, I _was_ telling the truth. Everyone around me knew that I was possibly the worst liar to walk the planet.

Edward cut in, "I'll stay in with her," making me stutter, "Oh, Edward, no. You really don't have to."

Rosalie nodded, "Well we'd all feel a lot better about leaving you here if one of us stays with you. And you know, since Edward rarely ever leaves your side, I guess he's fitting." I shook my head at her insinuation as Edward squeezed my own hand in his.

Emmett looked at us with narrowed eyes, wagging his finger, "Okay, but don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Everyone in the room gaped at Emmett, before Alice coughed, "Em, that's a terrible example of a warning." You know, seeing as there probably wasn't anything that Emmett _wouldn't_ do.

His eyes stayed narrowed, as he waved his hand around, "You know what I mean." I looked towards Edward as we both rolled our eyes simultaneously at my brother's behaviour.

It really was a miracle to me sometimes that I was related to him.

Soon enough, the others bid us goodbye, heading downstairs for the buffet.

I shut the door behind them, turning to face Edward, "I really don't want you to feel obligated to stay with me."

I looked down at my feet as I felt Edward slowly approach me, "We've been over this a million times. When are you going to get it through your head that I actually _like_ spending time with you?"

I glanced up towards his face, seeing a soft smile slowly spread across it.

"I just don't want you to miss out on doing the things that you wanna do, because of me," I said, trying to get him to see my point. I honestly felt that I sometimes took him away from his life, just because I didn't want to participate in certain activities.

He sighed, "I know it's cheesy, and I honestly never thought that I'd actually say this out loud, but: all I _want_ to do is be with you. You don't pull me away from anything because _you_ are my everything. Obviously, I love hanging out with our friends. But most of the time, I just enjoy your company. So let me do that, Bella. Please?"

By this time, Edward had rested his forehead against mine, hands interlocked with my own. I was sporting possibly the goofiest-looking grin in the world, but c'mon, that little speech he'd just made could've melted anyone into a pile of goo.

"Fine," I gave in. There was so much I wanted to say, to tell him, but I just couldn't seem to put my feelings into words.

So, I just said the first thing that came to my mind, the only words that seemed to be strong enough these days, "I love you, Edward."

What it came down to was that I didn't ever want to let Edward go.

I would be lying if I said that I hadn't wanted Edward to stay with me for the night – _please,_ I'd secretly hoped that he'd do exactly what he'd done. I know, I know. I was hopelessly selfish, but I couldn't help it around him.

Just like I was his…he was my everything.

* * *

**A/N: Cheesiest. Shortest. Chapter. Of. Life. **

**I know I shouldn't make excuses, but I literally wrote the entire chapter between yesterday and today, all because I absolutely did not want to make you guys wait any longer for an update!**

**If you're wondering, yes, I am finally on summer vacation (praise Jesus!).**

**I know that this chapter wasn't some of my best work, but… it's been a little while, and I'm still kind of mulling over ideas for the story. **

**Please leave me a review :D**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you to: **_**scrat (Guest), angelmichelle (Guest), GaleLuver27, mayejrmorris, Twilight RoeiSim23, lilysmily, HydraDrawer (Guest), LaurenLew20, Jocelyn (Guest), Samahah99999999, Rawr Olivia Grace, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson, MissMartha, hitorinbo envy, se7en29 (Guest), kay11kay1, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, TwilightPixieFairy, twilight edward twilight, monster333, Rosie Bluejay,**_** and **_**Monyetta**_**, for reviewing.**

* * *

Chapter 26

Bella

In the past few days, we visited every possible tourist site in the city of Miami. Obviously, we took a day in between each adventure to do some more shopping – much to Alice's delight.

So, as you can imagine, the two suitcases I'd brought with me were filled to capacity by now.

My friends and I were going to be heading back to Chicago in less than a day; and as much as I loved it in Miami, especially during the summer, I was looking forward to going back home.

Home is where the heart is, right?

Today was going to be one of our last fun trips in Miami, and we were going to be spending it watching a baseball game between the Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners at Marlins Park.

We'd scored enough tickets to the game for the group of us from one of Rosalie's cousins, an obviously generous and cool guy.

Thankfully, we were all donned in appropriate attire due to the fact that Alice had bought baseball t-shirts for all of us the day before. The girls were matching in oversized t-shirts paired with skinny jeans, while the guys simply wore them with regular, straight-legged jeans.

It wasn't long before we were all piling into the 7-seater Land Rover and heading to the stadium.

Getting organized in our regular seating arrangements, I proceeded to lean my head on Edward's shoulder before pulling out my iPhone and going through my Twitter feed.

After giving me a gentle kiss on the head, he did the same, clearly comfortable with our usual routine of silence.

I guess that that was one of the many ways in which we were different from most couples. Not that Edward and I didn't talk to each other – I mean, it was just a few hours ago that we'd had the longest discussion about which type of cheese was the tastiest – but we weren't one of those couples who felt awkward when conversation was lacking.

It wasn't a long drive to our destination, so it was only a few minutes before: "We're heeere!" Emmett sang in a high-pitched, child-like voice, positively _glowing _as we pulled into the stadium's parking lot.

If you couldn't already tell, Emmett was a huge fan of baseball. Ever since we were kids, he'd always beg my parents to take him to a local game, and of course, I was dragged along against my own will.

Going to baseball games when I was younger had been pretty unentertaining and kind of annoying, but this time, I wasn't complaining. I knew that the whole game-watching experience would be different with all of my friends here with me. I already had a feeling that this was going to be an immensely exciting game.

The gates had already opened, meaning that the entire stadium was slowly getting to be about halfway filled, and there wasn't much of a line leading up to the ticket stand.

Emmett brandished all of our tickets in his hand one last time – earning him several weird looks from passersby – before handing them over to the guy in charge at the ticket stand.

Within a few seconds, he was ushering us through the gates, and helpfully pointing us in the direction of our seats.

As previously stated, the stadium was already starting to get crowded, so Edward took my hand in his so as to avoid people from pushing and shoving us of the way – a common occurrence at sports games.

Walking through the sea of baseball fans, we travelled up several sets of stairs before reaching our seats on the black bleachers.

While the rest of us got settled, Jasper and Emmett decided to go look for some game snacks for the group of us.

"Have you ever been to a baseball game before?" Edward turned towards me, eyebrows raising in curiosity.

I almost laughed, instead concealing it with a smile, "I grew up with Emmett. What do _you_ think?"

This led to Edward breaking out in his signature crooked grin, paired with his signature running-his-fingers-through-his-silky-hair, "Right, stupid question. Did you enjoy going to them?"

I thought for a while, pursing my lips before answering, "To an extent. I mean, I'm not a huge fan of baseball on a whole, but it doesn't bore me to tears watching a game either."

Edward nodded, making a move to open his mouth in order to respond. But he was cut off from whatever it was that he had planned to say by a nasally, all-too-familiar voice coming from the seat right next to him, "Is this seat taken?"

_No, no. NO._

Alice and Rosalie, previously engaged in a conversation about the latest runway show, ceased talking, heads shooting up to meet Tanya's own plastic one.

Her eyes soon widened in surprise, just as all of our jaws dropped open. "Oh em gee! You guys are here?! This is gonna be so much _fun_!" she practically _squealed_, before taking the empty seat next to Edward.

_Oh, hell no._

Slowly putting my hand on Edward's lap, I whispered inconspicuously in his ear, "Switch with me."

It was all too visible that he was fighting to hide a smug smirk, so I avoided eye contact, knowing that my embarrassment about this whole situation would only double.

So, sue me if I was a bit protective of my boyfriend. But I mean, I had a right to be. This girl was basically labeled 'boyfriend-stealer' at school.

And don't get me wrong, I trusted Edward with my life. It was Tanya with her sneaky little deceptions that I didn't want near him.

My cheeks flared as I smiled, while Edward stood up and moved places with me so that _I _was the one sitting next to Tanya instead of him.

Seeing what was ensuing, both Rosalie and Alice tried hiding their giggles next to us – giving me sympathetic smiles afterwards. Tanya, on the other hand, proceeded to give me just about the fakest smile there was.

She wasn't stupid, clearly understanding what was going on. I mean, anyone with a brain would've realized what I had been trying to do. However, she kept her mouth shut, only smiling wider as she twirled a loose strand of strawberry-blond hair between her fingers.

Even though she wasn't necessarily doing anything, she was already beginning to get on my very last nerves.

That half an hour between Tanya's arrival and the beginning of the game was possibly the longest thirty minutes of my life. It was incredibly ironic to think that I'd been so pumped to enjoy the match with my friends, but now that I was here, wanted nothing more than to leave.

Emmett and Jasper had arrived with our snacks about fifteen minutes prior to the beginning of the game.

Jasper had been pissed off to see Tanya, mirroring Alice's own glare. They still hadn't forgotten how she'd tried to break the two of them up just so that she could get her hands on Jasper.

Meanwhile, Emmett had only laughed boisterously, completely amused by the entire thing.

I sighed, placing my elbow on my leg, and resting my chin on my hand. Just as soon as that occurred, I was given a mild shock when Edward grabbed my free hand and lightly squeezed it.

Mind you, it still surprised me whenever he did stuff like that. It really didn't ever get old. I smiled up at him, just as he grinned back, emerald eyes twinkling. I knew that he was silently reassuring me that today wasn't going to be so bad, and I was truly grateful for his actions.

Thankfully, soon after the whole Tanya-thing, the game began. The well-known cheering that always accompanied these events soon erupted, as the group of us clapped and whooped when the Mariners took their places.

* * *

I didn't even think about the fact that the most bloodcurdling person I'd ever met was sitting beside me. And because of that, I actually wasn't having such a bad time.

Yet.

Towards the end of the game, my throat had begun to feel unbearably sore, and regrettably, we were all out of water.

Knowing that it would be a major inconvenience to one of my friends – who were all very intent on watching the game – to go get it for me, I decided to go grab one on my own.

Edward was already two steps ahead of me on my decision (wasn't he always?), but this time, I wasn't going to allow him to leave a game he was clearly appreciating just to get me some water.

"No, it's fine. I can handle myself. Thanks though. Fill me in on what I missed," I smiled gratefully, but the tone of my voice told him that this was the end of the discussion, and he practically zipped his lips.

Edward only nodded, kissing me on the cheek, "Thank you." He was referring to the fact that I had let him stay and watch a game that he was so obviously interested in, rather than force him to accompany me.

I mean, it was only just a second after I left that his eyes returned back to the field, where they remained fixed for the rest of the game. _Boys._

I only shook my head amusedly, making my way to the concession stand that was just a few feet away from me now.

But this is where the story gets interesting. Upon arrival to the stand, I immediately realized just how much I needed to pee.

Sighing and quickly paying for my water, I headed back up a few more flights of stairs, rounding two or three corners to get to the ladies bathroom.

It was only as I was washing my hands and drying them with a paper towel that I heard an unnatural amount of screaming and clapping and whooping. Thinking nothing of it, I retraced my steps back to the bleachers.

I hadn't yet reached my friends, but at this point, I was hearing even more cheering. So naturally, I looked around myself at all the fans sitting down, only then noticing that most of their eyes were glued to the large screen that hung above the stadium.

Obviously wanting to see what all the commotion was about, I looked towards the screen, taking a moment to process what I was seeing.

And when I did eventually process it, my jaw just about hit the floor.

The words 'kiss cam' blinked on the screen, while several hearts and arrows framed it.

But that wasn't the good part.

Right in the middle of the screen was what seemed to be a live video of Tanya – who had reached across my seat - pulling Edward by his collar and kissing the living daylights out of him.

I heard a crackling sound, soon realizing that it was my hand crushing the plastic water bottle that I'd just bought. "Hm," I said out loud, still frozen in place, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen.

You know when you see something so disturbing that you just want to turn away and throw up, but at the same time, some unknown force is making you continue to watch whatever it is nevertheless? Yeah, well, that's what happened to me.

Upon closer inspection, it looked as if Edward was trying to pry her off of him without hurting her.

_Oh, allow me, Edward. Allow me. _

A white hot rage was slowly spreading throughout my body as I took two steps at a time, making my way towards our seats. I didn't even register what was happening. It was like my mind was saying one thing, but my body was doing the other.

By the time I eventually met the pair of them, the kiss cam had moved on to another couple.

Naturally, I practically yanked Tanya off of Edward by her extensions, while all of my friends simply sat watching in awe. I guessed that they too had been shell shocked by the scene that had played out in front of their eyes. But unlike them, I always made a quick recovery.

"Get off. Of. My boyfriend," I spoke slowly, plastering the most emotionless-looking mask on my face that I could possibly produce. I knew that my eyes were telling a different story though.

I was _livid_.

Tanya only smirked up at me – making me even more pissed off than I already was - while Edward looked like if he was going to throw himself into a bullring in hopes that he could forget everything that had just happened. I certainly knew how that felt.

"I have half a mind to wipe that smirk off of your face. But I won't. Because I'm not that kind of girl," I took a deep breath, clenching my jaw along with my fists.

It was then that Rosalie spoke up, scoffing, "Well, _I_ am. _Allow me_."

When the colour drained from Tanya's face at Rosalie's response, I actually had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling; knowing that now was not the time to giggle.

"No, no. There's no need. I'm sure Tanya here is just about to leave quietly. Oh, but not before apologizing. To me, and Edward," I folded my arms across my chest.

I didn't know how I was managing to stay so calm in this situation, when all I wanted to do was punch her in the face. Or cry myself to sleep. Or both.

Tanya quickly regained her composure after that, "Please. Like I'm gonna apologize for finally getting my hands on Eddie."

She laughed, flipping her shining hair over her shoulder, "Why should I? I mean, he enjoyed it... Every. Single. Second. Of it."

"Why do you even _like_ her? You could have_ me,_ yet you choose plain, boring, Bella," Tanya made a face at Edward, causing something inside of me to just _snap. _Boy, did that girl _know _how to get under my skin.

I had been growing more and more aggravated with each of her words. But towards the end, she had just struck a nerve within me.

Because although I never said it out loud: that was my greatest fear. Deep down, I always felt like Edward would eventually come to his senses and realize that I wasn't good enough for him.

I had begun to feel less and less insecure with each passing moment that I spent with Edward over the past few months, but Tanya's statement had just caused all of my feelings from the beginning to come crashing back.

My face was growing hot, and I could already feel the tears stinging behind my eyelids. I wanted to respond, but I had no idea what to say. Because what she said _was _true. I was plain, boring, Bella.

Before I could fully break down, Edward spoke up. But what he said made me simply want to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"You're right. I don'tlike her," I took deep breaths; trying my hardest to blink away the tears that I knew were already threatening to overflow. Even though I knew that this day would come, it still hurt like hell to have Edward say it, and confirm all of my worst suspicions.

I heard all of my friends shouting, and shooting glares and looks of worry to each of us. Everyone was confused about how this whole event had gone from zero to one hundred in mere seconds. I couldn't deny that I was too, which suddenly made this all become too much for me.

I turned away, making a move to walk away – because I just couldn't stand to stay there and hear what he had to say. To me, he had already said enough.

I was soon stopped in my tracks by a hand on my wrist. The touch burned my skin, for the simple reason that I was going to miss it like if it was a part of me that was being taken away.

Edward pulled me in so that I was facing him, his eyes smoldering mine the same way they always did. His eyebrows soon creased with worry at my expression, as he brought his hand to cup my cheek.

"I don't_ like_ Bella," he repeated, looking deeply into my eyes.

_Okay, I get it. Message received_. I begged him with my eyes to stop torturing me like this.

It was then that he smiled crookedly, dazedly, at me, "I _love _her. She's not plain or boring; not even partially. She's beautiful, smart, kind, and funny.

"She's slightly insecure – but that's something that we're just gonna have to work on," and with one last brilliant grin, he pressed his lips to mine, bringing my body close to his.

I gasped, feeling a few tears leak from my eyes, simply because his words had touched me in a way that I'd never been touched before. Then, I wrapped my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his silky bronze hair - that for a second I'd thought I'd never get to touch again - and kissed him with a passion that I'd never kissed him with before.

It wasn't long before I heard an angry shriek from Tanya as she stormed away – I flipped her the bird while still glued to Edward's lips. We also heard:

"So, I guess you guys are good, then. We'll just go ahead and watch the rest of the game," Emmett said, probably with a look of amusement mixed with relief on his face.

I only smiled against Edward's lips, pulling away simply to say, "I love you, too."

Edward grinned, kissing my nose, making me giggle lightly, "I know."

All around us, we heard more cheering, only then noticing that the kiss cam had come back and focused on us. The announcer said something along the lines of, "Wow, that guy sure is getting busy today," causing me and Edward to burst out laughing, before reattaching our lips to each other.

Edward was right; I did need to work on my insecurities, or else our relationship would never be able to work. And I was willing to, just as long as he was there with me the whole way.

* * *

**A/N: THE END. **

**HAHAHA JUST KIDDING. **

**Please don't kill me for that joke :p **

**But I'm not going to lie, the end is very near. I'm still working on how I want to end the story, but I'm hoping that you guys will love it. **

**This chapter was… crazy, right? I don't even know what was going through my head while I was writing this, seriously. But I really hope that you guys didn't hate it :s **

**I honestly wish that this chapter was better, and hopefully my writing will get better, but for now, please bear with me. I'm just going through some stuff that's affecting all this :/ But don't worry, I'll get through it :D**

**Leave me a review :)**

**Xoxo**

**LoveACullen **


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you to:**_** RoseNEmmettForever, TwilightxHPotterxPJackson,roselally, lilysmily, Twilight RoeiSim23, angelmichelle (Guest), MissMartha, Far-Longer-Than-Forever, Rawr Olivia Grace, TwilightPixieFairy, kay11kay1, SelenaQuintanillaLOVER, monster333, Monyetta, and mayejrmorris, **_**for reviewing!**

**This is the last chapter for the story… hope you guys enjoy! Thank you so much to all of you who followed this story even when I, as the writer, didn't want to. **

**Gotta warn you: things get a little steamy towards the middle of the chapter. It's not too bad, I don't think.**

* * *

Chapter 27

Bella

Shortly after returning to Chicago from our vacation to Miami, things both changed yet stayed the same for the lot of us.

The majority of my friends were preparing to leave home to attend the universities of their choices, while Edward and I remained out of the loop, having only now finished our junior years of high school, as opposed to our friends – all seniors.

In a way, our trip to Miami had been one of the last trips that the group of us would take while we were all still in high school.

It was weird; going to school every day and not being part of my small trio of friends. Instead, I had to stick out my last year of high school clinging to Angela and a few other acquaintances.

Tanya had (thankfully) graduated along with Rosalie and Alice, though I wasn't entirely sure what she had been accepted into college to pursue.

And even though it was gratifying to not see _her_ face in the halls, I kind of have to admit that I'd grown accustomed to the daily bickering that used to ensue between my friends, and Tanya and her minions. I almost missed it in a weird sort of way. _(Almost_, being the key word. I wasn't _that_ forgiving for all that she'd done to me.)

But although school life was a dull, dreary time, after school was an _entirely_ different story. Edward picked me up every single day, and once in a while, we'd try to take the bus, just to have a little laugh and reminisce the day we'd first met.

Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice visited as often as they could. Once in a while, they'd all drive down back home, and spend the weekend with Edward and me. Not to mention every possibly holiday and/or vacation.

All in all, my senior year with Edward was pretty amazing, even with our lack of close friends. I got to spend an immense amount of time with him, applying to most of the same universities that he applied to – not completely because of him. Believe it or not, we both liked a lot of the same campuses.

So, coming down to our senior year, when we were both accepted into Princeton University – Edward for pre-med, and me for English – we were both ecstatic, and jumped at the opportunity to attend the same school. I was thrilled because I'd luckily avoided having to choose between one of my dream universities and the guy of my dreams.

Instead, I'd gotten the best of both worlds – cheesy as it sounds.

Our friends were all relatively nearby, so throughout university, the group of us would meet up at least once a month to hang out together and catch up on old times. The last thing that any of us wanted to do was drift apart – not that that would ever happen. After all, I was Emmett's sister, while Edward was Alice's brother - Alice and Jasper, and Rosalie and Emmett were still just as inseparable as Edward and me.

Moreover, in my second year of university, Emmett had decided to pop the big question to Rosalie, who had obviously accepted. They had gotten married during the summer of that year.

Jasper wasn't too far behind in that area, proposing to Alice in my last year of university before I began my journalism apprenticeship at a well-known magazine. The couple had a spring wedding, which was just as extravagant as Rosalie and Emmett's.

Edward, on the other hand, continued to focus on his studies like me, but soon after my graduation, decided to ask me to move into an apartment with him.

During that time, I'd stay up late with him while he was studying for finals, picking him up in his work. Similarly, he'd read over some of my works in progress.

We had a good system.

And so now, here we were, revising for Edward's last final exam in medical school before he graduated.

It was clear that he was exhausted and bored of studying, and to be honest, I was too. It was actually applaudable that he'd been doing this same routine for more than six years.

But unfortunately, he still had at least five more topics to go over, and knowing this, I decided to come up with a way to spice things up a bit.

Once the gears started turning in my head, a smile slowly started forming on my lips as I thought of just the thing to get him going once again.

"What?" Edward asked, suspicion evident in his velvety voice as he looked at my smiling face. He couldn't help but smile back, though.

"I was just thinking about us playing a little studying game, of the sorts. Since you're clearly having a hard time finishing this part," I replied, wondering how exactly this game of mine was going to go down.

"Care to elaborate, love?" my heart skipped a beat at the nickname he'd started using for me most recently.

Yes, we had both established the fact that we loved each other, a long time ago, but still, I always turned to goo every time he said it – or something along the lines of it – to me.

I looked down at my clothes, noting that I was wearing a jumper over a tank top (which was obviously over a bra), plus my sweatpants and underwear. Then I looked back up at him, noticing that his expression was turning more and more curious by the second.

"Okay, I _think_ I've determined how this is going to work. For every topic that we cover, in which you get every single question I ask you right – I will take off an article of clothing. _However_, if you get one or more questions wrong within the topic, you have to take off one of yours," by this time, Edward's jaw had dropped open, and he was trying fruitlessly to cover up both his disbelief and excitement.

"Seriously?" he asked, cocking his dark eyebrows up at me as if what he was hearing was too good to be true.

"Seriously," I confirmed, locking eyes with him and smirking.

"We better get started, then," Edward looked at my clothes, visibly gulping, making my smile widen even further.

In case you were wondering, Edward and I still hadn't… well, you know. Even after all these years of being together.

We'd been close to doing it once before, but in that one circumstance, I had felt like it just wasn't the right time. And he had respected that, which I was really grateful for.

Obviously, I wasn't planning on finally doing it the day before his final exam; doing that would probably only leave him disoriented and confused.

But I figured that having a little fun while studying would be good for him, and for us. It'd been a while since we'd done anything besides give each other short kisses goodbye.

"Okay, first question…" and with that, I started our studying game, pulling off my sweater when he'd gotten all the answers in the first section correct. He had grinned when that had happened, while I had only rolled my eyes, smiling.

* * *

After about an hour, we were finally down to the last topic of questions. I was now only clad in my tank top covering my bra, along with my underwear, while Edward was only in boxers.

It actually physically took an effort for me to tear my eyes away from his perfectly sculpted body. He was still going to the gym religiously to maintain a six-pack, and God-given biceps – cue mental cheer.

Currently, we were both standing; Edward was pacing around as I shot question after question at him. He had answered all of them perfectly so far, and we were now down to the last question.

"What is the name of the condition which occurs when blood accumulates in the pleural cavity?" I asked, waiting patiently for him to answer.

After just about a minute, "Hemothorax," he answered smoothly, before smiling when he realized that I had to take off another article of clothing.

I only sighed, before reaching for the hem of my tank top and gently tugging it off, to reveal a pink lacy bra that matched my underwear.

Edward had seen me in my underwear before, when he'd accidentally walked into the bathroom while I was still changing.

But it really didn't count that time seeing as he'd covered his eyes, apologizing profusely, before turning and walking back out. (It had been so adorable to see his cheeks and neck turn a rosy hue due to his sheer embarrassment.)

Now this time, however, he was given the opportunity to look, _really_ look – and boy, did he take advantage of that. Edward's eyes roamed over my body a few times before he froze in his spot, looking like a fish out of water with his open-mouthed gaping.

I resisted the urge to laugh out loud, finding it completely humorous that he still got flustered by me. Possibly even more than he used to when we'd first gotten together. I slowly cocked my head to the side, moving my feet backwards in the direction of the bedroom before beckoning him with my finger to follow me.

I didn't know what compelled me to do so, but I guess I was feeling a little outgoing – okay, a lot.

His eyes only widened further, before something seemed to trigger inside of him, making him quickly close the distance between us. This only caused me to giggle when his arms wrapped around my waist as he dipped me down, planting a searing kiss on my lips.

It wasn't long before my fingers found themselves tangled into his always-messy, bronze hair, while he gently lifted me up, walking us into large bedroom that we shared in our apartment.

By this time, Edward's tongue had plunged itself into my open mouth, wrestling with my own as he gently rested my body onto the king-sized bed. His muscular body hovered over mine, still not breaking the kiss as his hands trailed from my waist, up my arms, to my hair. My arms went to his back, pulling him flush against my body, making him groan audibly.

When we broke apart for air, Edward barely breathed before his lips went to a different part of my body. He planted butterfly kisses from my jaw, down to my neck, before finally reaching my sternum. All the while, my fingers were curled, pressing into his back as I resisted the urge to moan.

I knew that it was going to be excruciatingly hard to stop if we went any further, so I held onto the little amount of self-control that I still had, before lightly pushing him away so that I could see his face.

His eyes were closed, and I watched the steady rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed in and out, in and out.

I didn't want to break the silence, but at the same time, I needed to, "Edward."

I whispered his name, causing his eyes to immediately flutter open. They were their usual vibrant green, but had an undertone of darkness, and…lust.

"I want to do it. You have no idea how much I do. But at the same time, I don't want this to be all that you're thinking of while you're in your exam tomorrow," I had been completely serious, but smiled when Edward eyes cleared as he chuckled.

"I know. You're completely right. I probably wouldn't be able to focus on anything but you," he laughed again, eyes brightening with humour as I only shook my head, smiling.

"But, thank you," he eventually said, after sobering up. I only quirked a single eyebrow, wondering what he meant by that.

"For what?" I voiced my thoughts, before soon getting his answer, "For helping me study."

His expression was smug as I bit my lip, blushing, "You're welcome."

After a few minutes, his expression turned calculating, and anxious. He was deliberating whether or not he should ask me something, before he finally came to a decision.

"Can we continue this tomorrow? You know, when I have nothing else to study for? I mean… only if you're ready. God, what am I saying? I'm really being selfish," his expression turned from hopeful to guilty in a matter of seconds. I almost kissed him for once again putting my feelings above his.

Thinking about it, honestly, I had no reason to say no to what he was proposing. All that I had been worried about was whether he'd have all of his energy focused on his last final exam in medical school - because education always came first. But tomorrow, he'd be finished.

And truly, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to do it. I mean, we'd been together for over six years now, and I knew that I was ready.

So…why not?

"No, you're not being selfish. You're being open, and that's exactly what you're supposed to be. And I'm not saying this because I'd feel bad for turning you down…I'm saying this because I actually do want to do this with you: yes, we can continue this tomorrow," I didn't know how I'd managed to turn a simple 'yes' into a mini-speech, but hey, I couldn't take it back now.

"Are you sure? We don't have to - " Edward still looked wary, making my smile widen, "Absolutely sure."

And, guess what?

We _did_ continue the next day, and it was everything that I'd wished it to be and more.

In the movies, the girl almost always wakes up feeling regretful… but I didn't. If anything, I'd felt more whole and complete than I'd ever felt in my life. I felt happy – truly happy.

Obviously, it had a lot to do with what had happened on the bed… but something equally amazing had happened just prior to that.

I glanced down at my left hand, seeing the diamonds glistening in the morning sun, thinking back to how it'd gotten on my finger.

_Flashback:_

_I'd decided to pay a visit to Alice and Jasper in Manhattan while Edward was finishing his last exam. My mind was still swimming with what had happened the night before when I'd played that studying game with Edward. _

_I wasn't going back on my decision to finally lose my virginity to Edward. In fact, I was reveling in that fact. I honestly didn't know how tonight was going to turn out, but I hoped that everything would go smoothly. _

_It was a relatively long drive from New Jersey to New York, so by the time I'd gotten to Alice and Jasper's apartment, it was already well into the morning. _

_Alice had opened the door, beaming as she enveloped me in one of her signature hugs, before Jasper had greeted me with a smile and light hug. _

"_How's the married life going?" I asked the couple after we'd settled down on the couches located in their living room. _

_My response was a cheeky grin from Alice aimed at Jasper, "Incredible. I mean, obviously we fight a little here and there. But it's never anything that can't be resolved. And with Jasper being a therapist and all, it's a little hard to ever really stay mad." We all laughed at that, before Jasper formulated his own response. _

"_You and Edward would really love it," I could tell that there was some kind of hidden meaning in his words, but at the time, I couldn't seem to figure it out. _

"_Yeah, well. I want it to happen, but I'm not going to obsess over it. He's busy, and I get it, so I'm really not gonna push him to pop the question. It'll happen when it happens," I responded, making Alice and Jasper's grins widen even further. _

"_So you would say 'yes' if he were to ask you, hypothetically speaking," Jasper asked, seeking clarification. _

"_Of course. There's no one else that I'd want to spend the rest of my life with," I answered truthfully, making Alice visibly bounce in her seat. _

_It seemed that my answer seemed to give her so much happiness that she had to run over and hug me with a vice grip, "Oh, I'm so thrilled that you two got together all those years ago."_

_I only laughed, patting her on the back, "Well it's thanks to you that Edward had happened to take the bus with me that day." I recalled the fact that she'd forced Edward to hitch a ride on the bus while she borrowed his Volvo after her Porsche had been impounded. _

_I'd also happened to take the bus that day due to the fact that my Audi had been at the mechanic's. _

_It was honestly crazy to think that all of this had come from just one accidental meeting on the bus. _

"_Well, you two would've eventually met anyway, but you're welcome!" Alice released me, before she walked back over and sat on Jasper's lap. They shared a short moment of looking into each other's eyes before snapping out of it after remembering that they had company. It was clear to any bystander that the two of them absolutely adored each other. _

_Jasper and Alice were almost as lovey-dovey as Emmett and Rosalie. _

_Well actually, I couldn't really compare the two due to the fact that Emmett and Rose were more of a hands-on couple, while Jasper and Alice were more of a look-into-each-other's-eyes-and-melt couple. _

_I think that Edward and I were probably a mixture of the two. _

_Soon after I got settled in Alice and Jasper's couch, the three of us fell into conversation about our careers, and plans for the future, steering clear of the topic of marriage after having already interrogated me about it. _

_It was during the early evening that I decided to head back home, sending a message to Edward that I was on my way. He'd confirmed that his exam was easy enough – "I know that I definitely didn't fail" – making me smile with pride at him. _

_Parking in the underground lot, I headed for the elevator, soon reaching the door to our apartment. Turning the key in the lock, my sense of smell was assaulted by a lovely aroma coming from the kitchen. _

_My interest piqued as I rounded the corner, seeing Edward setting out two plates of food on a small table fit for two. _

"_What's all this?" I asked, as Edward came to greet me. _

"_Just my way of letting you know how much I love and appreciate you. It's the least that I could do after everything you do for me," he spoke, green eyes blazing with honesty into mine. _

_That really should have been my first hint as to what was soon to come, but being me, I had really believed that that was all that this was about. _

_I had only kissed him softly, "Thank you," before sitting with him and preparing to eat his mouth-watering food. The dishes consisted of lasagna, steamed vegetables, and roasted chicken. _

_All in all, it was definitely one of the best meals that I'd ever had. I was certain now that he'd picked up a thing or two from Esme in the kitchen. _

_When he was convinced that I'd had my fair share of food, he helped me up from the seat and led the way to the bedroom. I was confused to say the least, about to ask him what he was planning on doing._

_But once I entered the room, my confusion soon transformed into genuine surprise._

_Candles were placed strategically around the room – away from all flammable objects – while several rose petals were strewn on both the bed and the carpeted floors. It was only after closer inspection that I noticed that the rose petals on the bed had been placed in a way that they spelled out a sentence… or was it a question?_

_I walked up closer to the bed, gasping when I realized what they spelt out._

_Oh. My. Gosh._

_I saw Edward's lean hand reach out and grasp a black, velvet box I hadn't noticed was resting on the bed. Then I turned and watched as he lowered himself to the floor, in a kneeling stance. _

_Oh. My. Gosh. _

_He took my hands in his, even at his position, before clearing his throat nervously, "Isabella Marie Swan, the day that I met you, I knew that things would never be the same. And I was right._

"_For the past six years, I've felt an indescribable warmth and happiness that I don't think anyone else in the world can make me feel. Before I met you, I thought that my life was good… great, even. I never knew that there was something missing from it, until you filled that empty space. Bella, I promise to love you and care for you for the rest of my life. It will be my mission to never make you cry, and always keep that beautiful smile on your face, for as long as I live._

"_Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Edward's emerald eyes looked imploringly into my own. I knew that he was practically dying of anxiety, so I quickly relieved him of his worries, not having to ponder my answer. Because I'd already known in the back of my mind that he was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Ever since the day I'd met him. _

"_Yes," I nodded, wiping away a few stray tears – I hadn't even noticed that I'd been crying – with my right hand. _

_After that one, simple word, the brightest smile lit up Edward's entire face, making his features seem all the more attractive. Already holding my left hand in his, he pulled the most gorgeous (gigantic) diamond ring out of the velvet box and slipped it onto my ring finger. _

_Then, in one fluid motion, he stood, lifting me up in his arms and twirling me around – the smiles never left either of our faces. _

"_You've just made me the happiest man in the world, Bella," he said, before bringing me down to give me just about the most passionate kiss he'd ever given me in his life. _

_End Flashback_

I had been admiring the diamond engagement ring, while Edward gazed down at me. We were still wrapped up in the bed sheets, too lazy to get up.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked curiously, moving the tangled hair away from my face, leaving his hand caressing my cheek.

"Last night," I answered simply, making a smirk form across his face, "Which part?"

I grinned, locking eyes with him, "When you proposed. I guess I've just been realizing how much I love you, Edward. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I was speaking slowly and honestly, and he knew that. I intertwined my fingers with his, as he kissed my knuckles.

A smile slowly spread across his face, as he leaned his forehead against mine.

"I meant all of those things I said last night. I'd do anything to make you happy. I truly and wholeheartedly love you, Bella. Always and forever."

And I could safely say that I felt the same about him. I couldn't wait to start our new life together. Because I knew it was going to be one hell of a journey.

~ Fin~

* * *

**A/N: The End. For real, this time :(**

**I just realized that I totally led you guys on in my A/N for the last chapter. I made it seem like I was writing 2-3 more chapters, and to be honest, I was going to. **

**But I just felt like I was dragging this story on, and it was time for it to end. Sorry! **

**But how did you guys find the last chapter?! Leave me a review… your last reviews :'( well for this story anyway. **

**Thank you for all of your support throughout this story! I still can't believe you guys sent me over 500 reviews :')**

**Oh, and I decided to answer some questions you guys might have about the chapter:**

**1. Did Edward want to propose just because they were finally going to have sex?**

**No, absolutely not. He'd been planning that proposal since months before. He wanted to propose to Bella when he was officially finished with medical school. They just happened to do it that night too…**

**2. Did Alice and Jasper already know about the proposal?**

**Yup! Hence all of the dropped hints. **

**3. Will there be a sequel to this story?**

**Probably not, sorry. **

**That's all I can think of…**

**Xoxo,**

**LoveACullen **

**P.S. I'm actually in the process of writing another story (I'll post the first chapter in the next two days – please check it out!)**


End file.
